HEADLINES

BPK Submits Audit Report to WIPO in Geneva

GENEVA, BPK Public Relations - The Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia has officially submitted the Audit Report to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an international organization dedicated to intellectual property, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The report was submitted on Monday (17/6), at WIPO headquarters during the 39th Session of the Program and Budget Committee (PBC), which serves as a forum for WIPO member states to discuss budgetary and financial issues.

The Audit Report was handed by Vice Chair of BPK, Budi Prijono, as Head of Delegation, accompanied by Director General of Audit VIII and International Organizations, Bahtiar Arif, as Auditor in Charge of Audit of WIPO for fiscal year 2024, and BPK audit team.

In his remarks, Vice Chair of BPK highlighted three key points concerning the audit conducted by BPK, including the results of the financial audit and performance audit, as well as follow-up on recommendations from previous audits.

Vice Chair of BPK stated that the audit results show that the financial statements of WIPO were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and WIPO’s financial regulations. However, he also noted several important issues requiring management’s attention, including the optimization and automation of the financial reporting system, as well as the adjustment of accounting policies.

Furthermore, the performance audit results led BPK to conclude that WIPO has effectively implemented program planning, monitoring, and evaluation for two pillars under Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) for WIPO for 2022-2026. These include Pillar 1 (Reach out worldwide to explain the potential for intellectual property to improve the lives of everyone, everywhere) and Pillar 2 (Bring people together and partner with stakeholders to shape the future of the global intellectual property ecosystem). However, BPK recommended further improvements in several aspects of the organization’s performance, including the development of more measurable and relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Vice Chair of BPK appreciated the steps taken by WIPO’s management in following up on previous audit recommendations. WIPO has reportedly implemented approximately 91% of the total recommendations issued by the United Kingdom National Audit Office (UK NAO), the external auditor during the previous audit period.

BPK also conveyed its appreciation for the support provided by various parties throughout the audit process, particularly to WIPO Secretariat for its responsiveness in providing required documents and information. In addition, Vice Chair of BPK expressed gratitude to PBC for entrusting BPK as external auditor and to UK NAO for the smooth audit handover process, which supported the implementation of BPK’s first audit at WIPO.

The submission concluded with a discussion session and responses from the member state delegations presented during the PBC session. Several countries, including Japan, China, Canada, and Russia, expressed their appreciation for the quality of the audit report presented by BPK. They also encouraged WIPO’s management to implement all recommendations immediately in order to enhance organization’s accountability and efficiency.

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