Q2/Q3 2022

In recent years, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have increasingly seen the value in engaging with civil society as a way to enhance government accountability and the quality of their audits. While we regularly engage with civil society during the normal course of our work, at no time has this been more important than during global emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic that we all have experienced for going on three years.

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) uses several approaches to engage with citizens and CSOs during the course of a performance audit, particularly during the fieldwork phase.

By operating the Audit Request System, BAI also strives to satisfy the need of citizens by rapidly resolving matters that disrupt the lives of the public.

The International Budget Partnership (IBP) initiated the Audit Accountability Initiative to bring together supreme audit institutions (SAIs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen government responsiveness to audit recommendations through more effective communication and engagement.

The Office of the Auditor General of Nepal (OAGN) approved the Citizen Participation Audit (CPA) procedure in 2016. This procedure incorporates civil society partners into the audit process to provide primary sources of data or sector specific information and expertise.

BPK enhances the role of the community in public sector audits through three public information services, implemented by the PPID.

Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI), delivered a workshop called Effective Stakeholder Engagement attended by staff from 10 Pacific Island public audit offices.

The Audit Office of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SAI Bosnia and Herzegovina) developed its first communication strategy for a four-year period (2022-2025). The communication strategy aims to increase the impact of SAI Bosnia and Herzegovina, and enables delivery of proper value and benefits for the society through enhanced stakeholder engagement.

Through the proper mechanisms and implementation of integrity, transparency and accountability principles, the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia, along with other oversight institutions, contribute to eradicating corruption in the public sector.

In the first week of June in 2022, this INTOSAI-Regions Coordination Platform (IRCP) gathered in a hybrid format to discuss INTOSAI’s response to capacity development challenges and opportunities faced by SAIs.

The State Audit Office of Georgia (SAOG) recognized a need for the performance audit of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and developed related audit findings and recommendations to overcome challenges.

Over the years, the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) has developed new spaces and advances in terms of Gender Equality.

Over 110 delegates from AFROSAI-E’s 26 member countries, partner institutions, and key stakeholders attended its 2022 Strategic Review and 18th Governing Board meeting.

During the week of May 15th to May 19th, 2022, the XII CAROSAI Congress was organized in Aruba by the Court of Audit Aruba. The theme for the XII CAROSAI Congress, “Targeting Superior Audit Impact”, promotes accountability, transparency, and inclusiveness.

The Capacity Building Committee (CCC) of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) launched the 2022-2024 OLACEFS Training Plan, which contemplates the offer of capacity building initiatives for the three-year period. 

The INTOSAI Task Force on Strategic Planning continues to make significant progress in developing the INTOSAI Strategic Plan for 2023-2028.

On July 17, 2022, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UN Women to become stakeholders on IDI’s Equal Futures Audit Initiative.

Multiple INTOSAI entities jointly organized a discussion panel in New York City to spotlight Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) contributions to the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda and efforts to address UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SAI Egypt participated in the AFROSAI Governing Board’s Extraordinary Meeting, as well as the 15th AFROSAI General Assembly Part 2.

The Algerian Court of Accounts (COA) has recently concluded and implemented a number of cooperation programs, further demonstrating the COA commitment to effective partnerships.

On 1 July 2022, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, by secret ballot voting, decided on the proposal of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, to appoint Jana Ahčin as the new President of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia.

SAI Thailand utilizes the FAIR concept (flexibility, agility, information technology, and resilience) to confront the post-pandemic environment for public sector auditing.

The Belgian Court of Audit received its ISO 9001:2015 certification for the processes leading to its core products.

Since January 2022, the Accountability State Authority of Egypt (ASA) participated in a number of meetings and events, contributing to knowledge sharing within the INTOSAI community, as well as the broader auditing community.

The Norwegian Parliament has elected Mr. Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen to be the new Head of the Office of the Auditor General of Norway for a four-year term from 1 January 2022. 

The Uzbekistan Chamber of Accounts launched a special e-platform, named “State Audit”, which allows the Chamber of Accounts to track control activities of public funds through a centralized system.

In April 2022, SAI New Zealand published good practice guidance on performance reporting to support public organisations in improving how they report to Parliament and the public on their performance.

In 2021, the Mongolian National Audit Office (MNAO) carried out major reforms to digitally transform its Electronic and Integrated Audit Management System. The MNAO developed a new web-portal, which provides virtual training, or e-learning accessibility for auditors.

With effect on May 2022, Birgitte Hansen has been appointed new auditor general of Rigsrevisionen.

The Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan actively participates in strengthening external public financial control at the international level in close cooperation with foreign partners. In 2022, as part of these activities, the Chamber of Accounts expanded its international cooperation.

The Open Budget Index (OBI), developed by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), assessed the transparency of budget processes and the availability of budget information to the public. In the 2021 report, the Chamber of Accounts of Azerbaijan scored well in several categories.