Q4 2025

In October 2022, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) began collaborating on a joint effort to explore the challenges faced by Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in safeguarding their independence. Rather than focusing solely on legal frameworks, the goal was to examine SAI independence from a broader and more practical perspective, taking into account informal pressures, institutional dynamics, and political realities that affect how independence is exercised in practice.

A long road has been travelled by INTOSAI since its first Congress in Cuba in 1953. Its ongoing existence shows the enduring value of external auditing and that INTOSAI itself has been able to stand the test of time as a professional organisation. 

Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have a vital role for public sector accountability, integrity, and transparency. To fulfill their role and build trust between the organs of the state and society, SAIs need to be independent.