The CBC Secretariat attended a MOSAIC (Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Accountancy and Improve Collaboration) Steering Committee meeting as observers in Brasilia on October 8, 2015.
MOSAIC strives to improve cooperation and collaboration between the International Federation of Accountants® (IFAC®), international donors, and the international development community to increase the capacity of professional accountancy organizations (PAOs) and improve the quality of financial management systems in emerging economies.
With the support of the World Bank, IFAC developed the MOSAIC website (www.MOSAICdevelopment.org), which provides access to resources and news about the development of the global accountancy profession.
The meeting discussed a number of MOSAIC initiatives, including future activities for MOSAIC and the 2016 work plan. Participants received an update on the PAO Capacity Building Program funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development. The meeting also touched upon many issues of relevance to INTOSAI and public sector audit as PAOs cater to accountants and auditors in both the public and private sectors. Much like in the CBC, MOSAIC is considering the need to focus on education, training and certification and what they can do to develop the accountancy profession in fragile/early emerging economies. Furthermore, implications of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the accountancy profession were discussed, as was the role of PAOs in supporting the capacity development of SAIs.
The partnership between the Office of the Auditor General and the PAO in Kosovo was highlighted as a good example of promoting the profession which benefited from a strong champion in the public sector. There is also ongoing cooperation between the regional organizations . For example, the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA) and the regional INTOSAI organizations PASAI and ASOSAI work together, as do the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and the regional INTOSAI organization AFROSAI-E. These are only a few examples of where INTOSAI members and structures are cooperating with professional accountancy organizations or their regional structures.
To learn more about MOSAIC and benefit from the work they are doing, please visit its website at www.mosaicdevelopment.org