Prime minister launches Audit Bureau's 2024-2027 strategic plan

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Thursday attended the launch of the Audit Bureau's strategic plan for 2024-2027, aimed at advancing financial oversight and enhancing integration across Jordan's public institutions.

Audit Bureau President Radhi Hamadeen highlighted Royal directives towards strengthening the supreme financial oversight authority’s role in ensuring transparency and accountability in state operations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The development of the strategic plan involved extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including legislative bodies, government agencies, professional organizations, international partners, and citizens, Hamadeen said.

He added that the bureau's role extends to auditing the financial records of political parties and election campaigns in partnership with the Independent Election Commission (IEC). 

The Audit Bureau is also set to conduct a training workshop for newly elected lawmakers, in cooperation with the IEC and the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission, to emphasise the importance of audit reports in promoting accountability, he noted.

Highlighting the Audit Bureau's efforts to strengthen ties with the private sector, he said that it has entered into several memoranda of understanding with professional bodies, associations, and leading accounting firms to provide specialized training for its staff. 

Over the next three months, the Audit Bureau will undertake a key national audit mission, focusing on evaluating internal control systems across all audited entities, he revealed.

He also expressed gratitude for the government's support in enhancing the bureau's independence and advancing its institutional development. 

Pilar Ormijana, regional director for the Southern European Union Region in the OECD's SIGMA program,  praised the long-standing cooperation between SIGMA and Jordan, dating back to 2009, and funded by the European Union. 

She emphasised the crucial role of the Audit Bureau in managing public finances, providing assurances to Parliament and citizens that government accounts are handled fairly and transparently, and ensuring public funds are spent as intended.

Also on Thursday, Khasawneh received a copy of the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) annual report for the year 2023.

Khasawneh, during a meeting with IACC Chairman Muhannad Hijazi, reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting the commission in its mission to strengthen the national integrity system and protect public funds in accordance with the law, highlighting the IACC's crucial role in various sectors.

The Prime Minister underlined the need for continuous improvement of oversight mechanisms, keeping pace with modern standards and enhancing the training and skills of the workforce and commended the commission's efforts in these areas, Petra reported.

Hijazi reviewed the main points of the report and outlined the commission's initiatives to strengthen the national integrity framework in accordance with the law.

The IACC focuses on preventive measures, proactive deterrence and tackling perceived corruption by promoting transparency and compliance education, he noted.

Hijazi also highlighted the establishment of a specialised training centre for awareness and education, as well as partnerships with national organisations to promote integrity, transparency and compliance with the rule of law.