Welcoming remarks at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Representatives of Internal Audit Services (RIAS) & 17th Annual Meeting of the UN-RIAS

Distinguished Directors and Heads of Internal Audit,

Dear participants,

On behalf of the Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, I warmly welcome you to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It is a pleasure to receive you once again at the OPCW for the 54th Annual Meeting of the Representatives of Internal Audit Services, the RIAS, and the 17th Annual Meeting of the UN and RIAS.

We are honoured by your presence, and by what your community represents: a global commitment to integrity, responsible stewardship, and better decision-making across our institutions.

The mission of the OPCW is clear and enduring: to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention and to achieve a world permanently free of chemical weapons and the threat of their use - a world where chemistry serves peace, progress, and prosperity.

This mission has guided our work and led us to one of our greatest achievements: the elimination of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles, in July 2023.

Whilst the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction was a major international success, it did not signal the conclusion of our work.

Today our focus is on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons, through a wide range of activities.

These include our industry verification regime as well as a broad spectrum of capacity-building initiatives for our States Parties.

They range from implementation support for chemical safety and security to assistance and protection against the use or threat of use of chemical weapons.

These activities are even more important today, in a world of deepening geopolitical tension, increasing threats from non-State actors, and accelerating scientific and technological developments.

In particular, we have seen increasing numbers of allegations of use of chemical weapons around the world.

These global trends all add to the complexity and intensity of the threat spectrum faced by the OPCW and our Convention.

Dear participants,

The work of our Organisation is sustained each day by rigorous governance, sound management, and effective oversight.

These elements, as well as robust administrative accountability, are essential for delivering on our mandates in an effective and efficient manner.

Your annual meetings are vital in ensuring that we all continue to develop and strengthen our rules and practices in this regard.

Pooling your expertise and experience in this way will ensure that we can all have the best possible governance frameworks, ensuring optimal decision-making.

Over the coming days, your exchanges here at the OPCW will help our institutions remain effective, trusted, and resilient to future challenges.

This year's annual meetings are particularly important.

The new Global Internal Audit Standards are now in effect for quality assessments.

They reaffirm the core of the role of internal audit and set new standards for practice: principles-based, risk-focused, and aligned to strategy and outcomes.

These standards underline that internal audit is not merely a function of control, but a strategic element in shaping resilient and responsive institutions.

As hosts, we commend RIAS and UN-RIAS for advancing these principles and professional excellence in general.

When internal audit is strong, management makes better decisions, and the interests of stakeholders are better served.

Too often, internal audit is still seen as a compliance mechanism or even as a form of policing.

The profession's own definition has long made its value proposition clear:

internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and advisory activity designed to add value and improve the operations of an organisation-by strengthening governance, risk management and control.

Dear participants,

For the OPCW, excellence in our internal procedures of governance and oversight matters profoundly.

As a treaty-based organisation operating in a complex multi-stakeholder environment, our credibility rests on technical excellence and institutional integrity.

Robust internal processes - incorporating internal audit, evaluation, external audit, and audit and oversight committees - help us to allocate resources appropriately and adapt quickly to change without compromising on integrity.

A special word of appreciation goes to our Office of Internal Oversight-the OIO.

Although small in size, the team performs a wide range of important activities: audits, evaluations, internal investigations, quality assurance, and monitoring.

All of these help the Director-General and the Technical Secretariat to optimise the use of resources and manage risks effectively.

The indispensable work of the OIO team, led by its Director, Silvina Coria, and supported by colleagues across the Technical Secretariat, exemplifies what modern oversight can be: independent, constructive and enabling.

Many of the themes which preoccupy our internal oversight colleagues are common across our organisations:

digital transformation and data governance; safeguarding confidentiality and security; managing third-party risks; strengthening ethics and culture; and ensuring effective allocation of resources.

As we all know, internal audit is not only about checking past practice.

It is also about identifying emerging risks early, framing options clearly, and helping executive managers of our organisations make informed decisions.

Dear participants,

In closing, I wish to encourage you, during your discussions this week, to work in a spirit of openness and constructive criticism.

Be honest with one another about what works and what does not, share best practices, and challenge how the new Global Standards can be applied in your diverse contexts.

It is my hope that you will leave here with practical ideas that you can apply when you return to the office next week.

On behalf of the Director-General and the entire OPCW, I thank you for the work you do and the standards you uphold.

I also wish to thank my colleague Silvina, her team and all other colleagues at the Technical Secretariat that have been involved in organising this important event for their commitment and efforts.

I wish you all a productive annual meeting, fruitful discussions, and, of course, an enjoyable time in the Hague.

Thank you for your kind attention.