15TH ANNUAL ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC ISLAND AUDITORS (APIPA) CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP

The Association of Pacific Island Auditors (APIPA) conference and workshop, which was hosted by the Auditor General of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was successfully completed in Majuro on July 30, 2004. More than 170 participants attended the conference from American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia National Government and its State Government Audit Offices of Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Virgin Islands. The FSM Office of the National Public Auditor was represented by Mr. Haser Hainrick, National Public Auditor, and his staff.

The conference open on July 26, 2004 with a plenary presentation by Mr. James R. Fountain, Jr. doing a "Mini GASB Update" and closed on July 30, 2004 with a Plenary Session on Fraud facilitated by Mr. Frank Crawford entitled "Fraud and Government: Must They Go Hand-in-Hand?".

In keeping with the traditions of APIPA on promoting accountability and transparency in government, this year's APIPA offered three sets of tracks for Auditors, Audit Supervisors and a Finance Track for Island Government Finance Officers, Government employees and others in the field of finance and accounting. The courses offered this year range from Federal Grants Management: Cost Principles (A-87) and Administrative Requirements (A-102), Analyzing GASB 34 Financial Statements, Assessing (Internal) Controls: The Keys to Conducting Effective Audits, to Using Ratios to Assess Financial Condition and Performance.

This year the conference was enhanced by the active participation of key United States Government Officials as Mr. Edgar Johnson, from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), Mr. Ben Brivitt, Insular Area Field Liaison for the Pacific of the Department of Interior and many other important people both from the Insular Area and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Graduate School, Pacific Islands Training Initiative (PITI) Program.