PASAI institutions amplify concern with gender equality and climate change

Last March, the president of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Minister Bruno Dantas, who also chairs the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), attended the 24th Congress of the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI). PASAI is one of INTOSAI's seven Regional Organizations and works to promote the transparent, accountable, effective and efficient use of public resources in the Pacific. 

The meeting was held in Palau, Micronesia, and brought together representatives of audit institutions from Pacific countries to share experiences and discuss government audit in the region. Dantas' participation in the congress was the minister's first international engagement as Chair of the INTOSAI Governing Board. 

At the opening of the congress, Dantas stressed the importance of the participation of all nations in the fight against climate change, whose consequences "can be especially harmful to Pacific countries to the point of threatening their territorial integrity, water supply, infrastructure, citizens' health, food security, livelihoods, and ecosystems".

The chair emphasized that "mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change are topics that will receive special attention from INTOSAI in the coming years. In this sense, there are two initiatives under execution: ClimateScanner, coordinated by the TCU, and the Global Cooperative Audit of Climate Change Adaptation Actions, led by INTOSAI's Development Initiative (IDI).

ClimateScanner is a global audit that aims to assess government actions to address the challenges around climate change around the globe. Dantas said that INTOSAI will start building the methodological process of the assessment tool. The next step will be to define the indicators that will be evaluated in the first phase of the project.

The Global Cooperative Audit of Climate Change Adaptation Actions aims to facilitate a global audit by the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) regarding climate change adaptation measures. “SAIs are relevant actors to ensure, through high-quality audits, that their governments are establishing public policies in line with international conventions”, Dantas emphasized.

About PASAI's actions, the president also recalled that the association is working to integrategender equality and inclusion in human resources in management programs. " Governments need to establish public policies on gender, inclusion, and equality to ensure that women and vulnerable people are treated fairly and equally. Improving women's quality of life, enhancing the economy and social security, and increasing participation in decision making benefits everyone", Dantas noted.

As an example of regional cooperation, minister Walton Alencar Rodrigues presented the coordinated audit of protected areas being carried out by the Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). The minister detailed the phases of the audit and highlighted that the initiative is an opportunity to develop capacities and strengthen the relationship between the institutions. "When we conclude the work, I am sure we will have relevant results to share with society, as well as a complete diagnosis on the subject", he said.

This coordinated audit is an adaptation of the original work done by the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) with the same objective. At the end of the audit, OLACEFS developed a methodology to evaluate the implementation and management of protected areas in the region.