State Audit Office of Vietnam and ACCA strengthen partnership for sustainable development

On the morning of October 7, State Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan, along with a delegation from the SAV, visited the ACCA's headquarters in London for a working session with Helen Brand, chief executive of ACCA Global.

"The ACCA was delighted to congratulate the SAV on their 30^th anniversary and appreciated the excellent presentations shared during the meeting. These provided valuable insights that align with our mission to help build a better world. I was pleased to reaffirm the ACCA’s commitment to strengthening our partnership with the SAV in the months and years ahead, particularly in areas like sustainability assurance," said Brand.

The ACCA has been a key partner of the SAV since the signing of a cooperation agreement in January 2009, which was renewed in April 2014, followed by an MoU in July 2019. Since then, both parties have successfully implemented various collaborative activities, enhancing mutual support and promoting their profiles on the international stage.

Reaffirming the importance of the ACCA as a reliable partner, Tuan said, "In our State Audit Development Strategy to 2030, the SAV seeks to collaborate with the ACCA on developing high-quality human resources, a key pillar of our development. We hope the ACCA will continue supporting us through training and sharing expertise, especially in international and environmental audits. Furthermore, the SAV has been elected to the ASOSAI Audit Committee for the 2024-2027 term, and we look forward to the ACCA’s support in auditing international financial funds to help fulfill this role successfully."

The working session between SAV and ACCA. Photo: ACCA

In addition to the meeting, the SAV delegation and ACCA held a seminar to exchange professional experiences in environmental auditing and sustainable development. Representatives from ACCA Global delivered a presentation titled "The Accounting Profession for a Better World," highlighting how sustainability-related information can help organisations, advisors, and stakeholders better manage risks and seize opportunities related to sustainable development.

“Collaboration between senior managers, technology experts, talent development agencies, and professional accountants is crucial. Professional accountants must act as ethical practitioners in creating and using sustainability information,” said an ACCA representative.

The ACCA outlined an eight-stage cycle for creating sustainability-related information, including assigning responsibility for sustainability reporting, establishing the reporting context, identifying relevant sustainability factors, determining data requirements, data collection, reporting, execution with appropriate resources, and verification with continuous improvement.

“The ACCA is committed to building capacity in generating and using sustainability-related information. We will continue to support this through policy research, education, and professional qualifications, focusing on topics such as improved decision-making, regulatory compliance, risk management, and strategic planning, all while ensuring alignment with global sustainability goals,” the ACCA representative added.

From the SAV's perspective, Pham Thanh Ngoc, Deputy Auditor General of the Specialised Audit III Department, presented “Applying Common Practices in Developing Environmental Audit Guidelines,” discussing the SAV’s experiences in conducting environmental audits for sustainable development.

He also shared the challenges faced, including the development of strategic audit plans, integrating environmental audits into performance audits, building a database and audit topic bank, and procedural guidelines for various environmental subjects.

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