Damascus, July 22 (SANA)A delegation from the Central Financial Audit Bureau, headed by Acting Supervisor Muhammad Hael Ghafir, met on Wednesday with a delegation from theEU missionto Syria, headed by Program Director Tuuli Räty, to discuss prospects for cooperation and ways to develop audit work and enhance institutional and technical capacities, the bureau said.

Bureau’s post-liberation transformation

Ghafir, during the meeting at the bureau’s headquarters in Damascus, reviewed the bureau’s work before and after liberation, explaining that the administration conducted a comprehensive assessment of its technical and administrative status, identifying key weaknesses and challenges that had limited audit effectiveness and developing practical paths to address them within an integrated vision for institutional development, according to a statement.

He said that human resource development and staff capacity building are a top priority, prompting the bureau to establish the Specialized Institute for Financial Audit to qualify staff and equip them with modern knowledge, skills and audit tools.

Shift to digital, risk-based audit

Ghafir noted that the bureau is working to modernize audit methods and move beyond traditional approaches throughdigital transformationand the adoption of risk-based auditing.

He highlighted the establishment of the Risk and Quality Assurance Directorate to improve performance efficiency, accelerate violation detection and enhance protection of public funds.

He also noted that while the previous phase saw overlap in some aspects of work between the Central Financial Audit Bureau and the Central Inspection and Oversight Commission, the current phase is witnessing advanced coordination between the two bodies to enhance role integration, unify efforts and increase the effectiveness of the audit system.

Räty affirmed the EU mission’s support for the bureau’s efforts to develop its performance and expressed readiness to provide available expertise and support programs to enhance its institutional and technical capacities, the bureau said.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to hold coordination sessions in the coming period to identify priority areas for cooperation and develop implementation steps for the next phase.

The Central Financial Audit Bureau is Syria’s supreme audit institution responsible for overseeing public funds and ensuring financial accountability.

The meeting reflects Syria’s broader efforts to strengthen governance and transparency following the fall of the deposed regime, in line with the country’s transitional justice and institutional reform agenda.

The EU has been a key partner in supporting Syria’s recovery, with the mission in Damascus playing an active role in technical assistance and capacity-building programs across various government sectors.