Dubai: The Institute of Internal Auditors Global (IIA) with more than 200,000 members worldwide, has chosen the UAE Internal Auditors Association (UAE IAA) for a global honour in recognition of its 25 years of affiliation. 

The milestone recognition of the official body of the IA professionals in the Arab world’s second-biggest economy has been recommended by the Institute Relations Committee (IRC), one of the 16 boards and committees at the IIA with the mission to promote and facilitate the development and strategy that fosters collaboration and cooperation among the IIA and all institutes.  In the citation letter, Richard F. Chambers, President and CEO of the IIA, said the affiliation programme, effective in 2021, will recognise the ‘exceptional commitment to the growth and development’ of the IIA.

The Internal Audit profession’s global voice and recognized authority presented a digital badge and certificate as a ‘Gold Affiliate’ to the 25-year-old IAA affiliate in the UAE at its Global Assembly as a sign of professional commitment to The IIA and the milestone year.  The UAE-IAA, is one of the largest IA bodies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Throughout the year, it conducts training programmes, seminars and conferences on topics of interest to the Internal Auditors. It has been actively updating the knowledge of its members about the impact and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Data Privacy, Digitization, Cyber Security and Robotics on internal auditing.

Expressing happiness, Abdulqader Obaid Ali, Chairman of UAE IAA, said: “This global recognition comes as an honor to the UAE and has consolidated the leading role it plays in this profession. It speaks volumes about the vision of our wise leadership and the unfaltering commitment to maintaining global standards and quality corporate governance adopted by the country’s public and private sectors.”

He added: “We highly value this recognition as this is the fruit of the UAE’s efforts, dynamism and leadership in implementing good governance and combating fraud and corruption while seeking to make the government the smartest in the world. It also confirms the vital and decisive role of the internal auditors in the leadership process that gets helped by systems, applications, smart solutions and artificial intelligence in the delivery of services by this profession.”

He explained: “Internal auditing has remained the cornerstone of effective corporate governance for the state organizations while maintaining an upward growth trajectory. The global recognition is significant for the UAE IAA as it confirms its vital and growing role in overcoming the challenges and tapping the growth opportunities in its continuing journey of success as a leading entity in the internal audit industry, regionally and internationally.” He added internal auditing professionals were required to continuously upgrade their cutting- edge knowledge and skills to deliver the best services and play a larger role for the government entities and public and private sector organizations.

The IIA maintains relations with associated organizations like the Asian Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (ACIIA), African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA), European Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditing (ECIIA), Fundación Latino Americana de Auditors Infernos (FLAI) and Union Francophone de l’ Audit Interne (UFAI). The IRC is headed by Angela Witzany who is the Manager for Forensic, Risk and Compliance at BDO AG, one of the leading multinational companies for auditing and audit-related services with more than 80,000 employees across 162 countries.