INTOSAI: Digitalization key to ease government audits – Russia’s top auditor Kudrin

25 Sep, 2019 11:19

The 23rd Congress of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) kicked off in Moscow this week to become a platform for exchange of experience between the audit chambers of different countries.

The head of Russia’s Audit Chamber, Alexei Kudrin, who will be the president of INTOSAI for the next three years, talked to RT on the sidelines of a forum on technological challenges, audit digitalization, and new analysis models.

“We offer a number of new formats… that will be available to all auditors in the world,” Kudrin said, adding, “One of our goals is to promote such opportunities and knowledge.”

Talking about digitalization, Kudrin said new technology and machines allow any type of information for any period of time to be digitized.

“You can analyze a lot of different databases, which allows you to find discrepancy,” he said. That helps to transform routine information into automated information.

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According to Kudrin, new information technology will help governments find out if there is a problem in some area or not.

“That’s called a risk oriented approach,” he said, noting that Russia’s Audit Chamber plans to use this format in its work.

The participants of the congress will try to master new approaches and turn them into standards accessible to everyone. “Now we need analysts who could create new programs and analyze them, compare different types of data.”

Kudrin also talked about the ‘donor initiative’ within the INTOSAI, in which some countries help others that lack software products, computers, and other technology. The initiative helps governments compare interaction or results, and stay in the same information field. “Our interactions within INTOSAI make it easy to compare and use the best practices,” he said.

The largest international audit forum, INTOSAI, will be held in Moscow until September 28. Delegations from 169 countries arrived in the Russian capital to take part. In terms of the number of participants, it is the most representative congress in the history of INTOSAI.

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