Ethics in Internal Audit Profession Matters
The profession of internal auditing is based on the concept of adding value and it can only serve its mission if it meets its commitment to the ethical conduct. Having a unique position when it comes to meeting the needs of different stakeholders (members of governing boards, divisional managers, political and public stakeholders etc.), public sector auditors have to find a way to provide objective assurance to its stakeholders while at the same time remaining independent from the management and other stakeholders. This is often easier said than done. Mr. Dan Dobre from the Internal Audit Department at the National Bank of Romania shares his impressions from joining an online discussion about the importance of ethics and how it relates to an auditor’s role and responsibility.
“On January 30, 2020 I attended the CEF webinar "Code of Ethics for the Profession of Internal Auditing". I was intrigued to follow the discussions presented by Ms. Zorica Bozhinovska Lazarevska from the Faculty of Economics, Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, and Ms. Marlies Ypma from the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
The webinar focused on the principles and expectations governing the behavior of individuals and organizations in the conduct of internal auditing. More specifically, the moral courage and why it is important for internal auditors, the dangers they face in their work and how they can be overcome.
The personal story presented during the webinar was of particular interest to me. It reinforced my belief that moral courage is demonstrated by individuals with strong convictions about values.
When faced with an ethical dilemma, one can pass the moral courage test only by being more proactive, unafraid to speak the truth, and willing to uphold a moral responsibility to participate in difficult conversations.
I will definitely attend any future CEF ethics-related webinar to learn more about ethics and how they relate to the role and responsibility of the auditor, covering topics like how to resolve ethical dilemmas, how to pursue ethical decision-making, how to establish ethical cultures in work environments, the role of ethics in corporate governance, organizational ethics maturity models, and similar.”