Page 51 - CGIAR AR 2023 - Printable Med Res

Internal Audit

In 2023, the Internal Audit within the CGIAR organization provided strategic and operational
assurance while also offering advice to its stakeholders, with the aim of achieving its vision of
becoming "an integrated, digitally enabled, innovative, and trusted partner supporting CGIAR
institutions to deliver impact through value-adding assurance and advice." To realize this vision, we

established specific priorities for 2023 across our strategic focus areas, namely:

1. Enhancing and driving a business partnership approach through building robust
relationships with our stakeholders at the global and Center levels and measuring
performance via a set of Key Performance Indicators. We aligned Internal Audit with the key

organizational priorities throughout 2023 to adapt to the constantly evolving stakeholder
landscape. Closer engagement with strategic initiatives was achieved via strategic
advisory and assurance work, including engaging with the strategic risk review process,
reviewing funding modalities, and assessing talent risks.
2. Aligning the delivery with AFRC and senior management expectations through
ongoing dialogue, regular internal audit work plan reviews, and contextualizing internal
audit findings and recommendations within the organizational environment and goals.

3. Building an integrated internal audit by coordinating internal audit teams through
thematic engagements that cover more than one Center.
4. Achieving impactful communications by embedding the communication tools already
developed, such as new internal audit report templates, which received positive feedback
from a wide range of stakeholders.

5. Stepping up alignment with other assurance providers through an Assurance
Community that Internal Audit set up to drive better understanding of the risk assurance
landscape for CGIAR governing bodies and coordinating assurance activities for more
efficient coverage.

In 2024, the CGIAR Internal Audit will continue to set ambitious goals to respond to stakeholder

needs via a better-aligned, more efficient, and innovative internal audit function. The primary focus
for 2024 is to work toward an integrated internal audit function following up on the outcome of the
unified governance review.

Delivery in 2023

In 2023, the CGIAR Internal Audit delivered 72 reports across three types of engagements:

● Strategic and Thematic engagements (6) of assurance or advisory nature that responded
to CGIAR-wide risks and priorities. They encompassed multiple CGIAR Centers and were
designed and delivered through close collaboration among the CGIAR Internal Audit teams.

● Centre-specific engagements (68) responding to Center-specific risks.

CGIAR Annual Report 2023 51