Interior Applauds APIPA for 31st Annual Island Audit Training Conference, to Be Held Virtually From August 3–14, 2020

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech congratulates the Association of Pacific Islands Public Auditors (APIPA) on the occasion of its 31^st consecutive annual meeting for insular area public auditors and for pivoting from its annual in-person conference to deliver a virtual conference to be held August 3 to 14, 2020. Funded through the DOI Office of Insular Affairs’ Technical Assistance Program, with support from the Graduate School USA, this year’s virtual APIPA conference will be hosted by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) Office of the Public Auditor.

The APIPA 2020 virtual conference – its 31st annual meeting – will provide audit training for officials from the U.S. Pacific territories and freely associated states. Participants will have the opportunity to receive up to 40 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credits, as required by government auditing standards for auditors to maintain their professional competency. As of mid-July, over 400 participants are registered to participate in APIPA’s first virtual conference.

“I commend APIPA for the quick pivot to host a virtual conference this year, while still offering the same quality training,” said Assistant Secretary Domenech. “Despite travel and other restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, APIPA will continue its tradition, now spanning three decades, of training professionals in the Pacific for government efficiency and accountability. I am confident that APIPA and its members will continue to identify solutions to the unique issues facing island auditors and the public you serve.”

“Unusual times like these called for innovative approaches to offer the professional training we need,” said Michael Pai, CNMI Public Auditor and APIPA Chair. “More than ever, our accountability profession needs to maintain its core competence as we serve the public and our governments. This year, we will look forward to hearing from Department of the Interior Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt.”

The insular area government participants who have registered for this year’s conference come from American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, Fiji, and the Independent State of Samoa. Representatives from the FSM come from the national government and each of its four states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap.

The opening plenary will include welcome remarks from APIPA Chair Pai and Assistant Secretary Domenech, with a special session hosted by DOI Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt. Three other plenary sessions will cover audit planning, audit report writing, and ethics issues impacting island governments. Sixteen (16) courses will be delivered during the conference, including tracks for general and technical training.

For more information about the 31^st annual conference, visit the official conference website at www.apipa2020.org. Additional information on the Graduate School USA’s Pacific & Virgin Islands Training Initiatives is available at www.pitiviti.org. For more information on funding provided through the Office of Insular Affairs, visit https://www.doi.gov/oia/financial-assistance.

The Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, @ASIIADomenech, and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Follow and “like” OIA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InsularAffairs.

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