The XXIV International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has closed with a call to SAIs to provide oversight to help their governments and citizens with emergency preparedness and response.
This came to light in the Rio Declaration read by President of the State Audit Court of Brazil Mr. Bruno Dantas who is also Chairperson of the XXIV INCOSAI.
He stated that INTOSAI recognises that the effects of climate change and other emergency situations, such as natural and man made disasters, financial crises and pandemics, continue to challenge SAIs response.
Mr. Dantas bemoaned that emergency situations were affecting the ability of SAIs to conduct their work adding that recently emergencies and increased complexity of the subjects being audited, have prompted SAIs to quickly adapt their operations in order to be responsive to the citizens.
He observed that from the lessons learned, implementation of best practices, and engaging with INTOSAI and external partners, SAIs stood ready to improve their responsiveness.
The INCOSAI Chairperson also emhasised that in order to raise INTOSAI’s global voice there was need to harness the collective chorus of voices rooted in SAIs’ work carried out in their respective countries, with a special focus on the important role that SAIs have in addressing national, regional and global challenges.
Mr. Dantas further stressed the importance of adhering to principles of transparency, professional output, independence and auditing standards that guide how SAIs are positioned in their accountability ecosystem to deliver quality work that adds value.
At the same Congress, the INTOSAI Strategic Plan of 2023–2028 was approved whose strategic focus among others would be to advocate for and support SAI independence; to contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and support the development of resilience in SAIs.
Zambia like other SAIs in the INTOSAI community has not fully addressed issues on independence as provided for the Lima Declaration.
SOURCE: Office of the Auditor General Zambia
