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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free, online environmental audit training offered by iCED in February and March

The International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED)* in Jaipur, India seeks nominations from SAI heads for participants to attend free, online environmental audit training programmes.

International Workshop on “Renewable Energy Development Strategies and Mechanisms with special reference to Solar Energy” – course schedule
Dates: 5–9 February 2024
Complete the workshop nomination form by 29 January 2024.

11th International Training Programme (ITP) on “Introduction to Environmental Auditing” – course schedule (postponed from December 2023)
Dates: Choice of 11–15 or 18–22 March 2024
Complete the ITP nomination form by 4 March 2024

There is comprehensive information about the facilities and programmes available at iCED. Staff at iCED will be in touch with participants, if accepted, with the final schedule and other relevant information.

*iCED is a Global Training Facility of the INTOSAI WGEA

Website: http://iced.cag.gov.in/
Email: iced@cag.gov.in
Phone: 0141-2772009/ 2772012/ 2772000
Fax: 0141-2772011/ 2772030

Annual Report now available

The PASAI Annual Report 2022–23, along with copies of past reports, is now available on the Annual Reports page. It was approved by members at PASAI’s Annual General Meeting on 8 September 2023.

We report on our progress using our Performance Reporting Framework. This includes comprehensive reporting on 27 performance measures related to our five Strategic Priorities. PASAI’s financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2023 are also appended to the report.

Free online introduction course on environmental auditing running again

INTOSAI’s Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) is again running its course, Introduction to Environmental Auditing in the Public Sector.

Developed by project lead, the National Audit Office of Estonia, in close collaboration with various supreme audit institutions, the online training is offered in English through the University of Tartu.

The aim of this course is to give an overview of the main environmental management principles, discuss the importance and complexity of the concept of sustainable development, introduce the most common governance tools that are used in environmental management, and put all this into a practical environmental auditing context.

The course takes place from 25 September to 22 October 2023, is fully online, free of charge and self-paced. Performance auditors can get more information and register online.

Participants who successfully complete all tasks will receive a digital certificate from the University of Tartu.

iCED's next six months of environmental audit training

The International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED)* in Jaipur, India seeks nominations from SAI heads for participants to attend upcoming environmental audit training programmes.

This follows a joint invitation from the Chair of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

25 or 26 September 2023

International Webinar on “Audit of Blue Economy, Issues and Challenges with special reference to SDG 14”

Nomination deadline: 8 September 2023

Email nominees’ name and their email addresses to iced@cag.gov.in. iCED may then request nominees to complete the registration form.

4–16 December 2023

11th International Training Programme (ITP) on “Introduction to Environmental Auditing”

Nomination deadline: 3 November 2023

Complete the ITP nomination form and email it to iced@cag.gov.in to nominate SAI candidates.

5–9 February 2024

International Workshop on “Renewable Energy Development Strategies and Mechanisms with special reference to Solar Energy”

Nomination deadline: 5 January 2024

Complete the workshop nomination form and email it to iced@cag.gov.in to nominate SAI candidates.

There is comprehensive information about the facilities and programmes available at iCED. Staff at iCED will be in touch with participants, if accepted, for further arrangements.

*iCED is a Global Training Facility of the INTOSAI WGEA

Website: http://iced.cag.gov.in/
Email: iced@cag.gov.in
Phone: 0141-2772009/ 2772012/ 2772000
Fax: 0141-2772011/ 2772030

RWGEA communiqué and presentations now available

The Regional Working Group on Environmental Auditing (RWGEA) had an in-person meeting in Sydney, Australia from 9 to 11 May 2023.

You can now access (by entering your name and email address) more than 30 presentations made at the meeting. The communiqué records the common themes emerging from the presentations and discussions.

The Audit Office of New South Wales hosted the meeting and prepared the record.

Please send topic suggestions for future events or meetings to the RWGEA Coordinator, Jonathan Keate, by email to Jonathan.Keate@oag.parliament.nz.

Related media release: Global environmental goals spur Pacific auditors to meet in Sydney

ClimateScanner project presentation

RSVP for Strengthening collaborative efforts with media webinar

The media play a critical role in effective national integrity systems which support good governance, transparency and accountability. The media can reveal performance failures, fraud, corruption, highlight good practice and promote public accountability.

On Thursday 20 July at 1.30pm (NZT) the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand will hold a webinar exploring the value of strengthening collaborative efforts between supreme audit institutions (government audit offices, or “SAIs”) and the media. The panellists will be:

  • Barbara Dreaver, Pacific Correspondent, One News, TVNZ.

  • Georgina Kekea, Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalist Network, Editor of the Tavuli Television News, and President of the Media Association of Solomon Islands.

  • Lydia Lewis and Koroi Hawkins, Pacific Correspondents, Radio New Zealand.

  • Satrunino Tewid, Public Auditor of Palau and Chair of PASAI.

This is the second webinar in a 2023 series on building strong national integrity systems in the Pacific region. Leveraging the recent findings in PASAI’s Accountability and Transparency Report, this series is intended to provide a forum for those with a stake or role in such systems in the Pacific, to share knowledge and expertise.  

To register, email international@oag.govt.nz by 15 July 2023. We encourage you to forward this invitation to those you think may be interested in the event.

2023 Accountability and Transparency Report now available

Our fourth Accountability and Transparency Report focuses on the effectiveness of the work of Pacific SAIs. It also draws together how SAIs contribute to the public financial management (PFM) system in which SAIs are operating and, in turn, the impact of that system on the SAIs themselves.

We highlight the achievements of Pacific SAIs over recent years in improving the lives of people in the region and in helping to improve the performance of the public sector that serves them. These achievements are more significant because of the difficulties caused by COVID-19 and a range of challenging environmental and political events.

In the face of these challenges, SAIs are becoming increasingly strategic in their approach to influencing positive change to improve governance, accountability, transparency and integrity in the PFM system of their countries.

We hope the report’s examples will encourage our member SAIs to try things that have worked well for their peers. In publishing this report we also seek the continued support of those who can help strengthen the PFM system for the benefit of all people in the Pacific.

 
 

RSVP to attend launch of PASAI's Accountability and Transparency study report

The PASAI Secretary-General (and Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand), John Ryan, will launch our fourth study of accountability and transparency issues and risks in the Pacific region with a webinar from 1.30 to 2.30 pm (New Zealand time) on Thursday 18 May 2023.

The webinar will explore the key findings from this study and will feature guest panellists discussing the value civil society organisations (CSOs) bring to the effective function of the public financial management system, and particularly, to the work of supreme audit institutions in the Pacific.

Panellists will talk about ways their organisations complement the work of government integrity agencies and provide examples of actions they have taken.

Panellists include:

  • Arianne Kassman, Chief Executive, Transparency International, Papua New Guinea

  • Emeline Siale Ilolahia, Executive Director, Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO)

  • Satrunino Tewid, PASAI Chair and Public Auditor of Palau

Participation will be encouraged during a question and answer session after these presentations..

If you would like to attend please RSVP to international@oag.parliament.nz by 15 May.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to those you think may be interested in this event.

Mālō ‘aupito, grandfather of PASAI

The media has recently reported that the Hon Rev Dr Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa died in the United States on 18 March 2023. The former Prime Minister of Tonga became known as the grandfather of PASAI for his long involvement with the association.

Dr Pōhiva was appointed the pro tem Secretary-General of the Heads of Audit Offices in the South Pacific when Tonga hosted the group’s conference in 1985. The South Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (SPASAI) was founded in 1986 as a regional working group of INTOSAI. Dr Pōhiva was officially appointed as the Secretary-General of SPASAI at its first Congress in 1988, holding the role until 1994. The association changed its name to PASAI after its 2008 Congress, having expanded its membership to jurisdictions in the North Pacific as well. He later served as the Chair of PASAI’s Governing Board.

Over a 33-year tenure as the Auditor General of Tonga, Dr Pōhiva championed the independence of his office as being in the broader national interest. The Tonga Office of the Auditor General now serves as regional inspiration for its independence.

While serving as Prime Minister of Tonga, Dr Pōhiva participated in PASAI’s 33rd Congress in 2021 by contributing a video presentation. In it he said, “I continue to be appreciative of the work of SAIs in advocating for good governance, ensuring greater accountability and increased transparency.

“There’s no question of the significance and importance of the work of SAIs in holding the government accountable to its citizens. That is an undisputed role for SAIs which we should continue to enhance and modernise.”

Reflecting on Dr Pōhiva’s extraordinary legacy to the regional public audit community, the PASAI Secretariat is saddened by news of Dr Pōhiva’s passing and is thinking of his family members at this time. In memory of him, we say, “Mālō ‘aupito,” (Thank you very much).

Invitation to IMPACT 2023

The Australasian Council of Auditors-General (ACAG) welcomes the attendance of PASAI member staff at the biennial International Meeting of Performance Audit Critical Thinkers (IMPACT) 2023.

When: Wednesday 19 April 2023 to Thursday 20 April 2023
Time: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
Where: The Hotel Realm, Canberra, Australia
Website: https://cis.eventsair.com/impact-2023-conference
Pricing: $1,000.00 AUD (includes admission to the two days of the conference and formal dinner event)
Contact: impact.conference@anao.gov.au                     

Conference background

This year, the Australian National Audit Office in collaboration with the Australian Capital Territory Audit Office are co-hosting the conference.

The IMPACT conference is held biannually, with attendance generally from performance auditors, integrity agencies and the broader public sector. This will be the fourth conference since inception. The event was last held in person in Sydney in 2018 and attracted 175 attendees, including international delegates from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region.

The overarching theme of IMPACT 2023 will be ‘The Auditor of the Future’ with two sub themes: technology as a tool; and technology and the impact on the auditor.

  • What are the top challenges faced by audit institutions as they adapt to this new technology-driven future?

  • How can audit institutions make better use of big data, analytics, and artificial intelligence in its work?

The conference will aim to explore the exponential rate at which technology is developing and its effect on the future of audit. Tomorrow’s auditors will need to be technologically savvy and adapt to the changes in business models to execute high quality audits and continue to service the public and Parliament.

Another emerging area of focus is ethics in the delivery of government programs. Greater scrutiny of ethical frameworks looks beyond technical compliance and towards operating within the intent of established rules and frameworks, alongside community expectations of integrity.

The exciting, two-day conference programme features insights from audit experts and leaders of the Australian public sector as well as engaging keynote speakers. This includes special guest speaker, Li Cunxin, renowned dancer, Artistic Director, known for his bestselling autobiographical novel, Mao’s Last Dancer.

Regional report on audit issues now available

The Analysis of audit issues and recommendations for 20 PASAI members 2022 regional report examines the main issues these SAIs raised in their three most recent years of financial statements of government audit reports.

It also examines management letters or internal control recommendations, and is supported by reference to SAI Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) and Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) reports where available.

The questions examined are:

  • What are the issues reported by SAIs?

  • What is the significance and impact of those issues on government operations and public sector financial management?

Taking into account those issues, the report develops eight proposals and a reporting model.

 
 

LOTA Pioneers Open House

The INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) recently launched its Leveraging on Technological Advancements (LOTA) Pioneers initiative. This initiative aims to transform a pool of SAI auditors into change agents who bring technology to a SAI’s audit world.

SAIs should have received an invitation to the Open House Webinar to learn more about the LOTA Pioneers Initiative, its objectives and approach. The session will also provide a chance to ask questions.

Please register to join the session on Wednesday 30 November 2022 at 20:00 New Zealand time (GMT +13) or register to join the session on Friday 2 December 2022 at 04:00 New Zealand time (GMT +13).

If you have any questions about the initiative, you can email antons.ponomarjovs@idi.no.

SAI PMF Regional Report now available

A new report summarises the results of SAI Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) assessments of all 20 government audit offices that are beneficiaries of our programmes.

The SAI PMF Regional Report 2022 is a significant milestone being the first regional report on SAI performance for any INTOSAI region. Making the report publicly available demonstrates our commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance.

In addition to summarising the PMF assessments of all participating Pacific Island SAIs, the report includes:

  • analysis at regional, sub-regional and income levels

  • connections to our Strategic Priorities and

  • recommendations for future support and capability development.

The report represents the enormous amount of work and cooperation involved in completing these comprehensive assessments across our vast region. The individual assessments have already yielded much fruit, informing customised SAI workplans and establishing a baseline against which we can demonstrate improvement.

 
 

INTOSAI WGEA training on SDGs – waste management

SAI Indonesia in collaboration with the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) invites auditors to its online training on Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) with the topic of waste management from 14 to 25 November 2022. 

This training would be especially useful for SAIs planning a waste management audit or who want to find out more about how to link an environmental audit to the SDGs.

Participants must register online by this Friday 4 November 2022.

For any enquiries please contact Pacific RWGEA Coordinator, Jonathan Keate, on Jonathan.Keate@oag.parliament.nz.