While continuing to provide support to the Supreme Audit Institution of Georgia (SAI), experts of the State Audit Office of Latvia held experience exchange workshops on best practice in auditing in Tbilisi as part of a working visit at the beginning of October. In his turn, Auditor General of Latvia Edgars Korčagins met with H.E. Ambassador of Latvia to Georgia Ms Edīte Medne to discuss the support already provided to the State Audit Office of Georgia.
SAI Georgia has shown an interest in getting acquainted with the experience and best practice of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia in the introduction of the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), in calculating the financial impact of recommendations made in audits and in conducting audits on the state budget.
In the training workshops, the experts of SAI Latvia provided insight into both the aspects of strategically thought-out management of a supreme audit institution and the nuances of public sector auditing so that a SAO would provide the most targeted support for the necessary changes with the results of its work. In active discussions and tasks, various approaches of the State Audit Office of Latvia were demonstrated and revealed, whose application had created a lasting impact on citizens.
Also, an insight into budget management issues was given to the colleagues from SAI Georgia inter alia the budget management system in Latvia and the approach of the State Audit Office of Latvia in assessing budget issues were described. The experience of the State Audit Office of Latvia accumulated over the past 20 years shows that there is no one universal approach to assess a state budget so the public sector auditing can be aligned according to a current situation. During the workshops, pros and cons of various approaches to budget assessment were discussed and the future perspective in further development of these approaches was outlined.
The meeting of Auditor General of Latvia Edgars Korčagins and Head of Strategy and International Cooperation Department of State Audit Office of Latvia Silvija Nora Kalniņš was also held with H.E. Ambassador of Latvia to Georgia Edīte Medne and representatives of foreign donors from the delegation of the European Union, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ ) in Tbilisi to discuss the support provided so far to the SAI Georgia and to inform colleagues from SAI Georgia about the experience and expertise of the State Audit Office of Latvia so far.
The State Audit Office of Latvia provides support to SAI Georgia since 2010 when a bilateral cooperation agreement was signed. In its turn, since 2016, active cooperation and support has been provided within the framework of the Development Cooperation Policy Plan, which is executed through the implementation of the development cooperation project “Building the Capacity of the SAIs of the EU Eastern Partnership and Uzbekistan in the Process of Integration of ISSAI”. The aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the supreme audit institutions of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Uzbekistan by establishing a transparent and effective control system of state funds, and it is financed from the budget funds of the Development Cooperation Policy Plan administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.
The international cooperation of the State Audit Office of Latvia:
- Leads the Task Force on Municipality Auditing of EUROSAI, a regional organisation of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), serves on the Contact Committee, of the Cooperation Platform between the SAIs of the EU Member States and the European Court of Auditors, and acts as an auditor of international organisations;
- Ensures participation and professional input in the INTOSAI and EUROSAI International Working Groups and the INTOSAI Financial Auditing Standards Subcommittee;
- Provides development and other support to the SAIs of other countries and offers services in the international consulting market as a professional, highly qualified, and experienced consultant in the field of public sector audits.
About the State Audit Office of Latvia
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent, collegial supreme audit institution. The purpose of its activity is to find out whether the actions with the financial means and property of a public entity are legal, correct, useful and in line with public interests, as well as to provide recommendations for the elimination of discovered irregularities. The State Audit Office conducts audits in accordance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions INTOSAI (ISSAI), whose recognition in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General. Upon discovering deficiencies, the State Audit Office of Latvia provides recommendations for their elimination, but it informs law enforcement authorities about potential infringements of the law.
Additional information
Ms Gunta Krevica
Head of PR and Internal Communication Division
Ph. 23282332 | E-mail: Gunta.Krevica@lrvk.gov.lv