Excerpt from the auditor’s report of the World Health Organization (WHO) financial statements for year ended December, 2018 is given as under. How would you classify the auditor’s opinion? What implications will this auditor’s opinion will have on your analysis?
In line with our mandate, we audited the financial statements of WHO in accordance with the Financial Regulations and in conformity with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. We concluded that the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of WHO for the financial year ended 31 December 2018, and its financial performance, the changes in net assets/equity, the cash flows, and the comparison of budget and actual amounts in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Based on our conclusion, we issued an unmodified audit opinion on the Organization’s financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2018. We also concluded that the accounting policies were applied on a basis consistent with that of the preceding year, and the transactions of WHO that have come to our notice during the audit or that have been tested as part of the audit of the financial statements were, in all significant respects, compliant with the Financial Regulations and legislative authority of WHO. In addition to the audit of financial statements (at HQ and GSC), we also conducted audits of the Regional Office for Europe (EURO) and the WHO Country Offices (WCOs) in Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Madagascar and United Republic of Tanzania. Moreover, to add value to WHO’s financial management and governance, we reviewed the Coordinated Resource Mobilization, the WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) Programme, UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), the Polio Eradication Department (POL), the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the WHO Alliance of Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR), and the Partnership on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH). The results of the audit on these areas and offices were communicated to WHO Management and are incorporated in this Report.
