State Audit Bureau celebrates 50th anniversary

The State Audit Bureau (SAB) celebrated Monday the 50th anniversary since its establishment, with the participation of former and current employees at the bureau.On this occasion, HE the President of the State Audit Bureau Abdulaziz Mohamed Ahmed al-Emadi said that celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of SAB represents an opportunity to evaluate the work and determine the mechanisms to reach the aspired results with the highest efficiency, ambition and determination towards the development process.He pointed out the follow-up on the extent of progress in achieving the goals and comparing the actual performance with what is planned through performance indicators and periodic evaluation to find out what has been achieved, and to find the most effective solutions to the challenges facing the implementation of plans and programmes.He stressed that this occasion is a moment in which the bureau is committed to providing added value in the field of oversight work, and continuing the march in carrying out its oversight tasks with more effectiveness and quality, as well as raising the level of performance in accordance with the best professional practices.He said that the status that the State Audit Bureau has reached and the trusted quality of its audit outputs has been achieved thanks to the support and patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, explaining that issuance of Law No 11 of 2016 regarding the State Audit Bureau, and the Amiri Decree No 7 of 2017 regarding the Organisational Structure of the Audit Bureau, has had a great impact and a qualitative shift in the work of the bureau, which contributed to strengthening the control mechanisms over public funds — giving it the highest degree of independence in the exercise of its duties and specialisations. New types of control were also introduced and administrative units specialised in quality control were added, he added.During its march of progress, SAB was able to build and strengthen professional, organisational and institutional capabilities, develop methodologies and methods of control work in line with international best practices, enhance control systems to perform their tasks efficiently and professionally, and work to develop the skills and capabilities of employees, and enable them to keep pace with the rapid developments in the control and accounting field, he said.He pointed out that the role of the bureau is no longer confined to traditional oversight, but has extended to the practice of modern oversight with advanced methods and techniques, with the aim of enhancing the added value of the results and outputs of the bureau's work, in a way that contributes to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030, on which the bureau relied in developing its strategic plans and objectives.He highlighted the bureau's belief that protecting public funds is everyone's responsibility, and that achieving control over the safety and legality of its use and good management is not complete without partnership with the various entities in the country, especially the entities subject to oversight, underscoring the importance of working to develop and strengthen this partnership on the basis of professionalism, transparency and clarity, as well as working as one team to protect public money, and establishing the values and principles of integrity, transparency and governance.He pointed out SAB's success in building a wide network of professional external relations with various regional and international organisations working in the field of oversight work and counterpart bodies, with the aim of exchanging experiences and developing professional and institutional capabilities, adding that these relations witnessed growth at various levels — qualifying the bureau to assume a distinguished leading position among peer organisations around the globe.Deputy president of SAB, Sheikh Fahad bin Hamad bin Saud al-Abdulrahman al-Thani affirmed that celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bureau's establishment represents a new opportunity to confirm the commitment of its management to consolidating the gains and successes it has achieved over the past years in the field of preserving public funds, as well as ensuring the safety and legality of its use and good management in a way that serves the present and future of Qatari generations, and achieves the vision of the wise leadership in achieving sustainable development.He added that the developments witnessed by the bureau in the field of institutional and organisational construction to keep pace with the rapid changes in the environment and requirements of the oversight work, contributed to the creation of a creative work environment to improve the level of performance and complete the oversight tasks efficiently and effectively.During the ceremony, HE the President of SAB honoured a number of the bureau's retired and current employees, who spent long periods of service, in appreciation of their efforts throughout their career.