International Journal of Auditing – October 2003
NATO
50th Anniversary of International Board of Auditors
In the spring of 2003, the International Board of Auditors for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Board is the external auditor for 65 NATO agencies and military commands and for the military infrastructure the member nations have built on behalf of the organization. The Board carries out has its mandate for financial and certification, compliance, and performance audits in accordance with INTOSAI and International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) standards. The Board’s six members are generally high-ranking officials from the nations’ audit bodies. They are appointed for 4-year terms by the NATO Council from candidates nominated by the member nations. Staff members with international status assist the Board members.
The Board issued a commemorative report on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The report gives a detailed historical overview of the NATO audit system from its inception in the early 1950s to the present. It also describes the two main audit sectors of NATO bodies and the NATO Security Investment Program, main areas of concern, and achievements of the Board’s audit function. The report’s final chapter addresses the challenges the Board will face in the coming years, including a series of events in NATO and developments in the audit profession that are likely to influence its work. Such challenges include enlargement, the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards in all NATO organizations, audit cost recovery, resourcing of audits, and standard-setting for financial and administrative best practices.
For additional information or for a copy of the report, please contact: Chairman of the Board, fax: ++322 707 4962, or e-mail: board.auditors@hq.nato.int.