For the first time in the history of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, a new coordinating advisory body, the Audit Committee, has been established for the Department of Internal Audit. The order to create the body was signed by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov.
The committee is one of the components of the new model of financial control reform in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The committee includes certified internal auditors from NATO member states and Ukraine with years of experience in providing internal audit services.
The Audit Committee is created for consultations and consideration of issues related to the conduct of internal audit activities, preparation of recommendations for its improvement in the Ministry of Defense, maintaining high public trust in the Ministry as a state institution. It will strengthen the function of internal audit and at the same time will be a body that will develop its functionality.
"The creation of the Audit Committee is an opportunity to involve recognized foreign partners in the field of internal audit work. The Ministry of Defense invited experts to the committee who have the necessary expertise, reputation, authority, skills, and experience. The body will serve as a 'barrier' against political interference. This step speaks to our readiness to implement the highest international standards," said Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Dzhigir.
The Audit Committee of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine includes:
François Gauthier - Head of the External Oversight Service of NATO Headquarters (Brussels);
Joseph Inginoli - Analyst/Evaluator of Oversight Programs at the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense;
John Cheshire - Head of JC Audit Training Ltd (Oxford), member of the International Institute of Internal Auditors;
Manfred van Kesteren - International expert on state internal financial control within the EU4PFM program in Ukraine;
Ruslana Rudnytska - Ukrainian expert on national and international projects under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the Accounting Chamber.
Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Dzhigir and State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Lyudmyla Daragan are also members of the Audit Committee.
