Successful 20th PFAC Meeting Held in Washington
The United States Government Accountability Office (U.S. GAO) hosted the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions’ (INTOSAI) 20th Policy, Finance and Administration Committee (PFAC) meeting in Washington D.C., where members came together for the committee’s annual meeting.
Dr. Hussam Alangari, President of the General Court of Audit of Saudi Arabia and Chair of the PFAC, and Mr. Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the U.S. GAO and Vice Chairman of the PFAC, welcomed in-person and virtual participants to the 2023 meeting.
The PFAC is responsible for matters under Goal 4 of the INTOSAI strategic plan, and aims to organize and govern INTOSAI to promote economical, efficient, and effective INTOSAI operations. The meeting was the first PFAC meeting held under the new 2023-2028 INTOSAI Strategic Plan.
INTOSAI Secretary General and President of the Austrian Court of Audit Dr. Margit Kraker presented a report on the General Secretariat’s activities, including an overview of INTOSAI’s budget and financial management. She also noted that preparations are well under way for the 77th INTOSAI Governing Board meeting to be held at the Austrian Parliament in November 2023.
Neils-Erik Brokopp, on behalf of Alan Findlay of the European Court of Auditors, provided an overview of the activities of the Professional Standards Committee (PSC), noting that all activities supporting the PSC strategic objectives are on schedule.
For the Capacity Building Committee (CBC), Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke of the Auditor-General of South Africa described the progress of the CBC’s 10 workstreams. She also highlighted the recent CBC annual meeting in Kingston, Jamaica in June 2023, themed around partnering for stronger supreme audit institutions (SAIs).
In his report on the Knowledge Sharing Committee (KSC), SAI India’s Auditor General K.S. Subramanian highlighted the committee’s many activities, particularly the coordination of working groups and projects in relation to the INTOSAI Strategic Plan.
As the INTOSAI Journal Editor, Ms. Jessica Du provided an overview of the Journal’s operations. In particular, Ms. Du highlighted the launch of a new Journal website in June 2023, which includes expanded capabilities and improved user experiences. Auditor-General Maluleke commended the INTOSAI Journal team’s efforts on the new website.
President Hesham Badawy, the new First Vice Chair of INTOSAI, and other representatives of the Accountability State Authority of Egypt updated the PFAC on preparations for the 25th INTOSAI Congress (INCOSAI), which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in October 2025.
Dr. Sameha Alghamdi of the General Court of Audit of Saudi Arabia provided a report on behalf of PFAC. Dr. Alghamdi highlighted the development and adoption of the 2023-2028 INTOSAI Strategic Plan and the INTOSAI-Donor Cooperation initiatives to build capacity in developing SAIs. The committee will continue to study the addition of other official INTOSAI languages.
INTOSAI General Secretariat Dr. Margit Kraker and President of the Federal Court of Accounts (SAI Brazil) Minister Bruno Dantas described efforts by the Task Force on INTOSAI Communication. The Task Force is developing a new communication strategy to strengthen INTOSAI’s visual identity and brand usage, and to identify key audiences and communication channels. A first draft of the Task Force’s findings will be shared with Task Force members in the near future.
Minister Dantas also shared his report of the Supervisory Committee on Emerging Issues (SCEI) to the PFAC, noting how SCEI has been observing key emerging topics, including the United Nation’s sustainable development goals, the impact of science and technology on audits, and COVID-19.
On behalf of the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), Director General Einar Gørrissen provided an overview of IDI’s 2024-2029 strategic plan, which includes three priorities: sustainability, digitalisation, and public trust in SAIs.
In their closing remarks, Mr. Dodaro and Dr. Alangari thanked all attendees for participating in a highly successful, productive PFAC meeting in Washington.
