International activities

Aims

The framework for our international activities is set by the National Audit Office’s (NAO’s) Board and is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures to ensure we undertake such work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The strategic aims of the NAO’s portfolio of international activities are:

• To strengthen the NAO’s audit work and audit capacity through actively sharing knowledge with, and drawing on the experience of, other Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs);
• With the support of Parliament, and in line with Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development advice, to help promote better governance and accountability in public financial management through the audit of international bodies and the provision of capacity strengthening advice and support.

International roles

Our international work embraces three roles which fall into the following categories:

International relations

This covers all the work that the NAO undertakes to meet its obligations as the Supreme Audit Institution of the United Kingdom;

The audit of international public sector bodies

Since the establishment of the United Nations, the NAO has played and continues to play a leading role in the audit of international organisations;

International technical cooperation in support of capacity building

The NAO manages a programme of externally funded technical assistance to support capacity building in SAIs and Parliaments.