SAI Peru is expanding its concurrent control to all public procurement of goods, provision of services, and execution of public works over 10 million soles (approximately $2.45 million USD), in accordance with a new law passed by the Congress of the Republic. Concurrent control’s real-time, multidisciplinary oversight enables SAIs to...
transparency
Global Stocktaking Shows Slow Progress in Difficult Waters
In September 2021, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) released the Global Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) Stocktaking Report 2020, the fourth triennial analysis of data from an INTOSAI Global Survey on SAI performance and capacities. The report, which covers the period of 2017 to 2019, marks the 10-year anniversary of the Global Stocktaking, which has been an important source of...
Strengthening the Relationship between SAIs and the IMF
As an international lender of last resort, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been the largest provider of emergency financing for COVID-19, making available an unprecedented $250 billion to over 85 member countries. These funds, which have largely been used as domestic budget support, have been critical in bolstering governments’ responses to the pandemic. However, the rapid dispersal of these vast sums has increased the risk of...
OLACEFS Assesses Availability of SAIs’ Information to the Public
OLACEFS' Technical Commission for Good Governance Practices, led by Lic. Jesús Rodríguez, President of the National Audit Office of the Argentine Nation, has produced the fourth Index of Availability of Information to Citizens about SAIs’ Management (IDIGI-EFS 2021).
SAI Costa Rica Uses Innovative, Agile Approaches to Oversee Pandemic Response
In 2020, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Costa Rica, the country's Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), designed a strategic audit approach to assess Bono Proteger, a government program that provides $100-200 USD cash payments, for up to three months, to...
SAI Guatemala Encourages Citizens to Contribute to a Culture of Transparency
To promote a culture of ethics, probity, and transparency in public administration, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Guatemala recently released a mobile app, available for iOS and Android, which enables citizens themselves to...
Leading by Example Creates Culture Shift: SAO Hungary Employs Mechanisms to Enhance Transparency, Accountability and Integrity
SAIs are called upon to lead by example, as stated in ISSAI 20, which indicates transparency is a powerful force in combating corruption, improving governance and promoting accountability. The SAO of Hungary has employed several mechanisms over the years to enhance transparency and promote...
Combating Corruption By Promoting Transparency
Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) play a vital role in oversight by promoting transparency, verifying government account accuracy and reliability, evaluating spending compliance, assessing such spending's efficiency and effectiveness, and supporting the fight against corruption. This article explores the relationship between transparency and...
Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office Develops Interactive Tool Enhancing Transparency, Citizen Participation
In July 2020, the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO SR) developed a new interactive analytical tool called the Municipalities on Map (MuMAP). The application...
Challenges in Transparency, Oversight as Governments Respond to Pandemic
Amid a global pandemic that is forcing governments around the world to launch new spending measures, the International Budget Partnership’s (IBP) latest Open Budget Survey (OBS) shows why there is reason for concern: four out of five of the 117 governments assessed failed to reach the minimum threshold for adequate...