ASOSAI Journal of Government Audit has arrived. This is realisation of an idea and hope expressed in the New Delhi Assembly. The participants felt the need for a periodical publication to disseminate information, professional papers and other materials and asked the Governing Board to consider the feasibility of such a publication. The project was approved by the Governing Board in June 1980 but the work could not fructify because of certain practical constraints. Meeting in Seoul in April 1982, the Second Assembly resolved to overcome the problems and gave the go-ahead signal to the Governing Board to start the publication from 1983.
The Journal aims at encouraging all the member institutions to contribute from the rich variety of audits they conduct and to share their problems, experiences and developments with others as well as to bring to them developments that are taking place elsehwere. The Journal will be annual to start with but hopes to increase the frequency with the increasing response of the members.
Having realised this dream, we may well think of other related programmes in pursuance of ASOSAI aims and objectives. ASOSAI is dedicated to promote understanding and cooperation among member institutions through exchange of ideas and experiences and to provide facilities for research, training and continuing education for government auditors with a view to improving the quality of their performance. One such programme is that of developing case studies and creating an ASOSAI library of case studies to serve as rich training material. Some others relate to exchange and transmission of technical and professional papers and work and encouragement and promotion of practical and action-oriented research in selected areas of public audit in Asia. Seoul international seminar on the theme of role of public auditing system in national development was very encouraging and a hopeful sign. Problems will no doubt be there in their implementation but considering the determination shown by the Asian Supreme Audit Institutions so far, time is not far off when dreams will turn into realities. Strength of ASOSAI lies in the dedication and resolve of its members and that augurs well for its future.