Doha, February 18 (QNA) - The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Qatar Chapter's 7th National Conference on Internal Auditing kicked off Sunday in the presence of HE President of Civil Service and Government Development Bureau Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

Held under the theme: "Be Brave", the two-day conference aims to spread awareness on internal audit and its significance in optimizing works, as well as upgrading surveillance, governance, and risk management.

On this occasion, HE President of Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB) Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said the event reflects the spirit of the robust cooperation and partnership between CGB and IIA in Qatar. He underscored the CGB's keenness to perpetuate the professional cooperation with IIA which is demonstrated through the joint commitment to enhance efficacy and innovation in functionality, in recognition of the significance of an effective internal audit in ministries and institutions to offer an added value and be one of the vital tools of advancement.

The objective of the effective professional cooperation between the two sides lies in bolstering transparency, excellence in performance, quality and accountability in the multipronged government operation aspects to achieve development and sustainability, Al Khalifa highlighted, pointing out that the selection of the theme: "Be Brave" expresses the importance of invoking essential courage, wisdom and professional knowledge to lead the internal audit and handle the evolution of environments through addressing the challenges facing the workforces in pursuit of building an audit team in which every single person internalizes the required skills.

He added that the aforementioned theme goes in tandem with the internal audit principles and ethics that primarily aim to strengthen aptitude, integrity, commitment, objectivity and responsibility which in their entirety conform with the values of civil service in the government sector to further create a far more efficient and productive work environment.

The upgradation and preservation of talents are one of the most overwhelming challenges facing the institutions, especially the audit profession, Al Khalifa noted, affirming that this comes within CGB efforts devoted to undertaking a critical role in upgrading human capabilities, in addition to empowering the Qatari staffers and imbue them with the essential functional skills, preparing stellar administrative talents capable of keeping up with the rapid transformations in the workplace, as well as unlocking the innovative abilities that lead to building a highly productive national workforce in commensurate with the third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

For his part, HE Chairman of Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah emphasized the significance of the conference theme and its role in solidifying the works of the institutions, particularly with respect to transparency and combating the corruption.

His Excellency pointed out that the conference covers broad topics, such as risk management, combating of fraud, internal audit reports and other relevant topics, in addition to highlighting numerous challenges related to upsurge in corruption issues in the entire region, underscoring the need to seriously operate in the field of audit in general.

Evaluation and internal audit help achieve the inclusive efficiency and transparency for all institutions and provide invaluable information to make correct decisions, protect public assets and promote the culture of accountability and integrity, Al Attiyah outlined.

Chief of IIA Adel Al Hashimi pointed out that the theme of the conference expresses the courage inspired by wisdom and science and derived from professionalism and international standards which constitute an added value for the operation of the institutions.

The conference hosts a contingent of professionals and lecturers in various fields and sciences, especially those concerned with cybersecurity, governance, internal audit functions and AI, Al Hashimi emphasized, noting that such conferences represent a critical opportunity to forge partnerships among male and female fellows in the internal audit profession. (QNA)