Tag: OLACEFS

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, 22 Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) teams participating in INTOSAI Development Initiative’s (IDI) Strategy, Performance Measurement and Reporting (SPMR) initiative found themselves in a precarious situation. They had spent over a year assessing their performance and crafting a strategic plan, which seemed to be turned upside down in the face of…

In 2020, the Office of the Comptroller General of the State of Ecuador conducted its first-ever internal survey on gender equality. The survey asked 1,553 public servants within the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) about their awareness of the issue; the organizational culture; the prevalence of workplace harassment; and the need for gender equality policies. These efforts reflect…

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…

Recently, SAI Costa Rica has moved toward an innovative approach—the use of artificial intelligence (AI)—to auditing public procurement of goods and services. The SAI carried out two audits using AI in 2020 and plans to…

On May 18, 2021, the LXXII Meeting of the Governing Board of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) was successfully held. The virtual event was organized by…

From 2021 to 2022, the Working Group Specialized in the Fight against Transnational Corruption (GTCT) of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) conducted a variety of activities. The president of GTCT is the Office of the Comptroller General of the State of Ecuador, and the group includes 17 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from the region. GTCT developed…

During the pandemic, the Commission on Information Technologies and Communications (CTIC) of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) has helped the region’s Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) carry out their work in various ways. To help the region’s SAIs continue to hold events and perform tasks remotely…

In January 2021, Minister Ana Arraes took over as President of the Federal Court of Accounts of Brazil. She is only the second woman to occupy this position; before her, Minister Elvira Lordello Castello Branco led the organization in 1994. As head of SAI Brazil, Minister Arraes’ priority is to establish policies that promote…

The Office of the Comptroller General of Peru, the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), has deployed more than 500 auditors nationwide to help ensure that the COVID-19 vaccination process is timely, safe, and effective. Special teams of auditors are…

Guatemala’s General Comptroller of Accounts has declared 2021 the Year of Ethics and Probity in accordance with the Institutional Code of Ethics, which seeks to eliminate corruption from public service. This year marks the bicentennial of independence for Guatemala and Central America, and…

Access to a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Performance Audit—promoted by the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) Capacity Building Committee, currently under the presidency of Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts—was made available in October 2020. This free course provides information about…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a litmus test for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). Across the globe, governments have generated sizable investments to provide health and social coverage. International organizations have quickly mobilized substantial funds to aid the neediest populations. The crisis has produced…

The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Peru is implementing initiatives to digitally transform and technologically innovate how it prevents and detects risks of corruption and functional misconduct. Cross-referencing massive online information with…

To better administer public resources and fight corruption, the Office of the Comptroller General of Ecuador—the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI)—is working to develop an anonymous hotline through which employees and members of the public can securely…

ublic participation is generally defined as activities by which people’s concerns, needs, interests and values are incorporated into decisions and actions on public matters and issues. Incorporating direct forms of public participation in oversight work can enhance citizen engagement and inform Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) decision-making, as the Comptroller General of the Republic of Costa Rica (CGR) discovered when considering the transfer of $4 billion…

On March 12, 2020, the Chair of the Centro American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OCCEFS), Dr. Edwin Salazar Jerez, Head of Guatemala’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), awarded Nelson Shack Yalta, Peru’s Comptroller General…

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…

Information Technology (IT) audits are often complex, and audit outcomes tend to result in technical reports written in technical language. As noted in International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) 5300, very few people find such lengthy and complicated documents appealing or understandable. The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Argentina has…

Technology has changed how we do business, how we conduct public administration and human relations, and how we analyze information. Technological advances have also impacted the auditor´s role with huge implications in government oversight. Using new tools, such as…

As Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) President, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Peru, hosted the first-ever Regional High-Level Forum of SAIs (FRAN) on December 4, 2019, in Lima. The inaugural forum…

Numerous delegates representing OLACEFS contributed to the 2019 Annual International Conference for Integrity (CAII), an event hosted by SAI Peru. In his opening address, Nelson Shack Yalta, OLACEFS President…

At the LXIX Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) Governing Board meeting, the “Specialized Working Group on Fighting Against Transnational Corruption” was approved and created. The Office of the Comptroller General of the State of the Republic of Ecuador was elected to chair the working group, which is…