In the city of Rustavi, at the initiative of the Public Internal Financial  Control Department, a new format of practical working meetings, "TWINNING," was established. The first meeting was held with internal auditors of the Kvemo Kartli region.

The goal of the new format is the peer-to-peer sharing of best practices and professional experience accumulated at the national level within the country, the strengthening of the institutional sustainability of internal audit, and the reinforcement of cooperation and coordination between municipalities.

The meeting was opened by the Deputy Head of the Public Internal Financial Control Department,  Irma Gelantia-Akhvlediani. She emphasized the necessity of performance auditing and its impact on the results of municipal programs. Furthermore, she introduced the participants to the current progress and challenges of implementing the financial management and control system in city halls.

Within the framework of the meeting, representatives of the Internal Audit of the Rustavi Municipality City Hall — Tamaz Jvaridze and Lela Tsiklauri — shared with municipal internal auditors the best practices of implementing the internal audit function and experience in planning and conducting performance audits, including the structural organization of internal audit, mechanisms for communication with management and the Sakrebulo, criteria for selecting audit objects, and monitoring the implementation of recommendations.

The meeting was attended by: Shalva Kiknadze, Head of the Internal Audit Department of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, and internal audit representatives of:   Rustavi, Gardabani, Marneuli, Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Tetritskaro, and Tsalka municipalities.

The Public Internal Financial  Control Department will continue the aforementioned practical working format in other regions across the country, which will contribute to the improvement of the internal audit function by sharing collegial practices.

This practical working meeting is part of the "TWINNING" project, which is included in the "2025–2028 Public Internal Financial  Control System Development Strategy and Action Plan.