A.3 Mission and Core Principles of IIA’s Internal Auditing

Mission of the Internal Audit Activity

To enhance and protect organizational value by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight.

The core principles are:
- Demonstrates integrity.
- Demonstrates competence and due professional care.
- Is objective and free from undue influence (independent).
- Aligns with the strategies, objectives, and risks of the organization.
- Is appropriately positioned and adequately resourced.
- Demonstrates quality and continuous improvement.
- Communicates effectively.
- Provides risk-based assurance.
- Is insightful, proactive, and future-focused.
- Promotes organizational improvement.
The Core Principles, taken as a whole, articulate internal audit effectiveness. For an internal audit activity to be considered effective, all Principles should be present and operating effectively. How an internal auditor, as well as an internal audit activity, demonstrates achievement of the Core Principles may be quite different from organization to organization, but failure to achieve any of the Principles would imply that an internal audit activity was not as effective as it could be in achieving internal audit’s mission (above).