On 18 March 2024, the International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) welcomed at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels a delegation from the "Association des Institutions Supérieures de Contrôle ayant en Commun l'Usage du Français"(AISCCUF - Association of Supreme Audit Institutions having in common the use of French). IBAN offered them a tour of NATO HQ and hosted a meeting to exchange good auditing practices and present its work and main core values: independence, integrity and professionalism.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mr Mircea Geoană also paid a visit to the group and stressed the importance of audit for publically funded organisations. He also emphasised that NATO is strengthened by being a truly bilingual organisation in French and English. The AISCCUF visited Brussels at the occasion of the "Speak French" Week.
The AISCCUF delegation visiting NATO HQ on 18 March 2024 consisted of 18 representatives from French-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), including their Heads, from Belgium, Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale (CEMAC), Djibouti, France, Madagascar, Romania and Senegal. Most of AISCCUF's cabinet members were present: Mr Jean de Dieu Rakotondramihamina, President of the SAI of Madagascar; Ms Rosario Mbasogo Kung Nguidang, First President of the SAI of CEMAC; and Ms Florence Thys, President of the French-speaking Chamber of the SAI of Belgium.
IBAN Chair, Mr Radek Visinger (CZ), and Board Members Mr Sébastien Lepers (FR) and Mr Franz Wascotte (BE) welcomed the AISCCUF representatives at NATO HQ and offered them a guided tour of its main points of interests.
The group gathered for a presentation by Mr Visinger, joined by IBAN Board Member Mr Carlo Mancinelli (IT), IBAN middle management, and IBAN financial and performance auditors. IBAN Chair provided a presentation on IBAN, covering topics like its structure, mission and responsibilities. The participants presented themselves, mentioning which SAI they work for and their functions, and had a discussion with IBAN on good auditing practices, with French serving as a communication tool creating a sense of community and cooperation opportunities among auditing professionals. AISCCUF gave credit to IBAN for sharing the same standards and methodologies of their SAIs and acknowledged IBAN's independent status as external auditing body for NATO.
The attendants were honoured by the participation of the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mr Mircea Geoană, and his intervention - in French - to celebrate the Francophonie and NATO as a bilingual organisation. Mr Geoană's speech stressed the importance of financial transparency for NATO and the role that IBAN plays in attaining this goal. A quick photo-op with AISCCUF - including its Secretary General and French Cour de Comptes's First President Mr Pierre Moscovici - together with the NATO Deputy Secretary General and IBAN was the perfect opportunity to capture the moment on such a special occasion.
Sometimes it's worth remembering that languages build bridges and in this case: bien joué les francophones, à refaire !
