About Auditing
Audits are essential in providing reasonable assurance that our government is:
- Operating in accordance with laws, rules, regulations and policies;
- Responding to citizen needs; and
- Functioning economically, efficiently and effectively.
Government of Guam directors and managers are responsible for designing and implementing effective internal controls to ensure that assets are safeguarded, records are reliable, reports on operations are sufficient and fairly presented, fraud, waste and abuse are deterred, and programs, functions, and activities are conducted economically, efficiently and effectively.
Audits of our government are an essential element of public control and accountability. By independently reviewing and reporting on programs, functions, activities and organizations, and by conducting or causing to be conducted independent audits of financial statements, auditors provide the public, elected officials and management with a fair, objective and reliable assessment of local government performance. Government auditors make other contributions such as recommending improvements in policies, organizational structure, accounting procedures and management control systems and operations. Auditing is especially important in government because:
- Unlike the private sector, profit cannot be used readily as a key indicator of performance in government. Other measures of governmental efficiency, economy and effectiveness are needed.
- Governments must function in compliance with laws, policies and established procedures while exercising good judgment in their stewardship of finite resources and following sound management principles.
The Office of Public Accountability is organized and structured to make the greatest possible contribution to economical, efficient and effective government conducted in accordance with legislative and management directives.
About Guam
Guam is located in the Western Pacific, at approximately 13 degrees North latitude and 144 degrees West longitude. We are close to Japan, Manila and Australia.
Guam is approximately 36 miles long and 4 to 9 miles wide, with 214 sq. miles of land area (excluding reefs). Temperatures range from an overnight low in the 70's to an afternoon high in the upper 80's. The rainy season runs from June to December, when we receive most of our annual average of 90-110 inches of rain. The dry season extends from December to June, with trade winds from December through February bringing the coolest and driest months.
Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States. U.S. currency is used and American citizens do not need a passport to enter. The U.S. Postal service handles the mail.
The official languages are Chamorro and English. (About 80% of the Chamorro language has Spanish roots, as Spain occupied the Mariana's for more than 200 years from 1668 to 1898).
Click here to view a comprehensive report about Guam. (PDF File 747kb)
