Tag: sdgs

“End poverty in all its forms everywhere”—the first of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In 2010, the European Union (EU) highlighted ending poverty in its “Europe 2020 Strategy,” with each EU member state adopting its own national targets. In Latvia…

The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Secretary General hosted two high-level meetings in February aimed at guiding the future of the INTOSAI community…

The Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) and the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions Development Initiative (IDI) launched a cooperative audit on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation. Costa Rica’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) will be the lead coordinator. At the beginning of March…

Sustainable development—development that meets present needs without compromising the ability to meet future needs—can be divided into three integrated dimensions: economic, environmental and social. These aspects must be balanced if we are to achieve the United Nations (UN) “future we want.” How is such balance achievable and what does it look like conceptually? This article discusses…

At the September 2015 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Summit, Heads of State, including the Slovak Republic, adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—global goals establishing objectives across economic, environmental and social dimensions to be achieved by 2030. All 17 SDGs are…

The General Comptroller of Accounts (CGC) of the Republic of Guatemala formed a strategic alliance with the Presidency’s Secretariat of Planning and Programming, who is responsible implementing the National Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. Under the leadership of Dr. Edwin Humberto Salazar Jerez, Comptroller General, the CGC…

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 calls for the world to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable,” with SDG Target 11.1 specifically aiming to ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for all by 2030—a topical goal for Latvia. In December 2019, Latvia’s Supreme Audit Institution…

The Audit Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the nation’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), recently published a performance audit report assessing national preparedness to respond to Agenda 2030 commitments. The report represents SAI efforts to…

The Spring 2020 Edition of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Journal is dedicated to a very promising, yet quite challenging, topic: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While the world has seen a number of development agendas, none have been fully comprehensive, proactive and inclusive. The novel coronavirus outbreak has, once again, reminded us…

Loss of biodiversity is a global problem. As part of the European Ecological Network, Natura 2000, the Republic of Bulgaria established a National Ecological Network of protected zones—234 for the conservation of natural habitats, wild fauna and flora; 120 for the conservation of wild birds; and 13 bound by both conservation directives. The audit covering a 3-year period assessed…

The National Audit Office of Lithuania (NAOL) continues interacting with the public sector through its national SIGNALS conference on sustainable development. SIGNALS 2019, hosted by the NAOL in November 2019, invited participants to learn more about the most relevant public-sector signals, make necessary changes and answer the following questions…

Four years ago, 193 nations of the United Nations General Assembly put pen to paper and agreed to sign on to implement 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were ambitious goals, targeted for 2030 and envisioned, among other things, ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests. But for goals to be met, action must follow. How does a country chart its progress? How can citizens be sure a nation’s government follows through on these commitments…

The three-day INTOSAI-Regions Coordination Platform (IRCP) united global bodies and regions to explore synergies, address the INTOSAI value chain and crosscutting priorities, and foster an integrative approach in developing solutions and aligning efforts. The meeting kicked off with a new approach…

The Algerian Court of Accounts (COA) recently published a report assessing national preparedness in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established in the 2030 Agenda. This review…

Air pollution knows no borders, and recent statistics show that more than 85% of the citizens in European Union (EU) cities breathe air containing harmful chemicals. This statistic prompted several SAIS from EUROSAI to join forces, and, along with the ECA…

The deprivation of Bulgaria’s valuable architectural heritage has become particularly noticeable in recent years, as many architectural sites are in ruins and hundreds more have been demolished and replaced with new buildings that do not fit into the surrounding environment. As a result…

The Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Myanmar and Norway jointly held an Environmental Audit workshop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in February. The workshop, designed to introduce environmental auditing in line with…

Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) independence can be compared to the roots of a tree—the more deeply rooted, the stronger the tree. Independence is a precondition enabling state bodies to efficiently exercise powers that provide value and benefits to the lives of citizens…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) hosted the first Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) meeting on using big data analysis in reviewing national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation. The event was held at SAI UAE headquarters in Abu Dhabi and included delegates from…

In September 2015, nearly all United Nations (UN) member countries committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—global goals created to steer policy making and development funding until 2030. Each goal is comprised of targets, and each target is further refined through one or two indicators designed to measure progress. Though global targets and indicators have been established for each goal…

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 marks an impressive milestone in the modernized world’s history. Nearly all UN-member countries have accepted (and most have ratified) the SDGs into national policy frameworks. The SDG initiative attempts to…

A memorable cultural performance officially opened the 2018 Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) Assembly in Hanoi, Vietnam, hosted by the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV), the nation’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI). Dr. Ho Duc Phoc, SAV Auditor General (AG) and incoming ASOSAI chair, welcomed delegates and…