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In 2024, the Accounting Chamber switched to international standards of work, which became one of the key factors positively influencing the efficiency and quality of the institution's performance: audits covered almost five times more funds than in the previous year. This was stated by Olha Pishchanska, Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber, when presenting the Report on the results of the institution's work in 2024 at the meeting of the Accounting Chamber.
"Our audits covered about UAH 3.7 trillion of public funds, a significant part of which was direct budget support provided by international partners. The Report includes special chapters on audits related to the use of international assistance, particularly the implementation of the Ukraine Facility Plan. In addition, the statistical data provided for in the Report on the results of the work over the last five years allow certain trends to be identified and conclusions to be drawn. In particular, the volume of audited funds has increased significantly, thanks to new audit methodologies which are based on international standards. The goal of any Supreme Audit Institution - not to focus on the number of activities and reports, but to ensure that as much of the state budget funds as possible is covered by audits. We have achieved this in 2024," stressed the Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber.
ALIGNMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
In 2024, 90 percent of audits were conducted in accordance with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs). The quality management system continued to be implemented comprehensively, and, for the first time, a quality assurance review (cold review) of completed audits was carried out. An assessment of the quality management system and an analysis of its specific elements were also carried out.
Based on the conclusions of the Advisory and Scientific Council, the official Ukrainian translation of INTOSAI international standards and guidelines was adopted for use in the Accounting Chamber's activities. Furthermore, models of competencies for the state auditors were developed in line with ISSAI 150 “Auditor Competence”.
FUNDS AUDITED AND SHORTCOMINGS FOUND
In 2024, the Accounting Chamber conducted audits of 304 auditees and approved 54 audit reports. The total amount of audited funds reached almost UAH 3.7 trillion - more than five times more than in the previous year.
The total value of violations and shortcomings in the public finance management identified by the auditors of the Accounting Chamber amounted to almost UAH 217.5 billion, including:
- inefficient management and use of budget funds and property UAH 205.5 billion worth;
- violations of budget and other legislation: UAH 8.7 billion worth;
- violations and shortcomings in the management of the revenue part of the state budget: UAH 3.3 billion worth.
The largest volumes of violations were found in the following areas: national security, defence capability and civil defence (UAH 184.4 billion worth), the functioning of the economy (UAH 23.5 billion), the exercise of authorities by the state bodies (UAH 3.8 billion worth), and the use of natural resources and environmental protection (UAH 2.7 billion worth).
RATIO OF FINANCING TO THE RESULTS OF WORK
In 2024, the Accounting Chamber in its activities followed the principles of economic and efficient management. According to the results achieved, for every UAH 1 spent on financing the activities of the Accounting Chamber, UAH 7.1 thousand was spent on audited funds and UAH 435.5 were spent on violations and shortcomings found.
In addition, on average in 2024, one auditor audited UAH 11.1 billion and identified violations and shortcomings in the amount of UAH 677.6 million.
IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Violations amounting to more than UAH 4.6 billion have been eliminated following the implementation of the Accounting Chamber's recommendations. This is almost nine times the annual budget of the institution itself.
During the year, the Accounting Chamber issued 574 recommendations based on audit findings. Of these, 244 were implemented by the auditees in 2024, while another 231 are currently under implementation.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took the Accounting Chamber's proposals into account when adopting five laws, as well as the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine - when adopting 26 resolutions and 12 orders. These were aimed at improving state financial and budgetary policy, improving the functioning of the auditees, strengthening the legal and regulatory framework, addressing financial and economic issues as well as improving the quality of life of the population.
COOPERATION WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT BODIES
Based on the results of three audits carried out in 2024, law enforcement bodies initiated three preliminary investigations in criminal proceedings. In two other cases, audit findings were added to ongoing criminal proceedings. In the case of one audit, information was provided on criminal proceedings that had already been initiated, although no procedural decisions had yet been taken. Materials of two audits were sent to the Office of the Prosecutor General for information and are currently under review.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRANSPARENCY AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
In 2024, the Accounting Chamber prioritised strengthening its institutional capacity and introducing modern approaches to public auditing. One of the priorities was to modernise the IT infrastructure, ensure the uninterrupted operation of internal systems and upgrade key digital services, thereby increasing the efficiency of the audit despite the impact of martial law.
Particular attention was paid to improving staff skills. This year, more than 85 percent of auditors participated in professional training, including courses, internships and programmes organised in cooperation with international partners.
The Accounting Chamber has significantly intensified its international cooperation. In 2024, the institution was an active member of INTOSAI and EUROSAI working groups and bodies and deepened its partnership with the Supreme Audit Institutions of the EU Member States. Cooperation with international technical assistance projects continued, contributing to the implementation of the best audit practices, the strengthening of methodological framework and improvement of transparency.
Transparency remained a key principle in the Accounting Chamber's communication with the public, the authorities and other stakeholders. In 2024, the Accounting Chamber updated its outreach strategies by expanding its social media presence, increasing the number of publications about its work and updating the format of the presentation of its reports.
"In preparation of this Report, our aim has been to provide the public and our partners with the clearest and most comprehensive data on our work. As an example, we now provide not only general figures on the types of violations, but also a list of the control measures during which those violations were identified. We believe that this approach to presenting information will enable us to gain a better understanding of our activities and to assess our performance," said Olha Pishchanska, Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber.
Ms. Pishchanska also drew attention to the new sections in the Report for 2024, which are focused on the implementation of the quality management system and internal governance. She pointed out that the Accounting Chamber intends to increase the number of analytical conclusions in its annual reports in the future.
The full text of the Report of the Accounting Chamber for 2024 is available at: https://rp.gov.ua/Activity/Reports/?id=2524
