By: INTOSAI Journal

In 2016, Korea spent approximately 25 trillion won on Social Overhead Capital (SOC), which equates to roughly 15% of the central government’s budget. The SOC is defined as 46 specified infrastructure projects—roads, railroads, harbors, dams and schools. These projects, major sources of financial burdens to administrative agencies, have demonstrated, through several studies, overestimated demand forecasts and underestimated costs…

The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiative (IDI) recently launched the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) Young Leaders (SYL) program geared toward enabling the growth of young leaders and spurring them to contribute toward SAI development through specific initiatives. As part of the SYL program…

In 2016, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the Ecuadorian coast, constituting one of the most catastrophic tragedies in the history of the country. The quake left 663 people dead, 6,274 injured, 80,000 people displaced, great damage to infrastructure and more than 2,300 aftershocks in the following months. Consequently, reparation measures cost approximately 3,344 USD million, challenging the…

The Commission for Citizen Engagement (CTPC), an Organization for Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) committee, recently released the “Assessment of the Implementation of Impact Indicators for Good Practices in Citizen Engagement of CTPC Members” report. The report’s study…

“Peer Reviews Uniting the World of INTOSAI.” The slogan on the 2018 Peer Review Conference opening slide was bold and gutsy, but the symbolism was fulfilled—the conference attendance by almost one hundred participants from 47 INTOSAI member organizations and some twenty participants from the host Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) served as proof…

The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Peru signed inter-institutional cooperation agreements with the SAIs of El Salvador and Guatemala in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 19, 2018. In an effort to strengthen joint capacities, the agreements aim to…

The State Audit Office (SAO) of the Kingdom of Thailand coordinated and hosted an International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiative (IDI) Blended Learning Specialist Certification event October 9-27, 2017. The program, conducted in cooperation with IDI…

State resources are limited, so desiring more than necessities may become threatening. By our nature, we are more likely to see only the positive sides to our expectations. Rarely do we think our fulfilled dreams come with a price paid by someone else…

The European Court of Auditors hosted the 15th annual meeting of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institution’s (INTOSAI) Professional Standards Committee Steering Committee (PSC-SC) in Luxembourg in May 2018. To make the event participative and equip the PSC-SC to effectively fulfill its strategic role to guide the INTOSAI standard-setting process, the annual meeting…

The State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand hosted the Seventh Seminar on Environmental Auditing in conjunction with the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions’ (ASOSAI) sixth Working Group on Environmental Audit (WGEA) meeting January 29-31, 2018, at Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Fifty-seven participants from 24 ASOSAI member-states…

The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Peru celebrates the promulgation of the Law for Institutional Strengthening and the National Control System, recently approved by the Peruvian parliament. This law aims to increase transparency, as well as modernize and strengthen…

The Accounts Committee for Control over Execution of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Republican Budget, the nation’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), hosted a joint meeting with the National Audit Office of the People’s Republic of China (CNAO) and the Chamber of Accounts of the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyz Republic SAI) in Astana, Kazakhstan, to discuss results of the parallel performance audit on health care…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) State Audit Institution led the Financial Audit and Accounting Subcommittee meeting in Paro, Kingdom of Bhutan. Dr. Harib Saeed Al Amimi, President of UAE’s State Audit Institution and INTOSAI Chairman hosted Ms. Tytti Yli-Viikari, Auditor General of Finland’s NAO, to discuss…

Capacity building is critical for all dynamic organizations, both public and private. Training, an essential tool to systematically build capacity, also helps achieve desired organizational objectives. Public sector training programs are generally funded through national budgetary allocations and tend to be subject to audit by Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), the nature of which is determined by…

Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have served citizens by ensuring accountable use of public resources for national development. Irrespective of borders, across the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) community, members are collaborating with international peers and counterparts to ensure value-based delivery of services to citizens. This proven conviction in SAI capabilities is exemplified by…

The International Affairs Directorate of the Office of the Comptroller General of Ecuador, Ecuador’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), launched a contest encouraging staff to write articles on innovative auditing techniques to submit to the INTOSAI Journal,, the official INTOSAI communication organ. Several articles were presented to a selection committee…

Saudi Arabia’s General Auditing Bureau (GAB) participated in the ARABOSAI 57th Governing Board meeting in Tunisia and the INTOSAI WGFMRR hosted by the CNAO in March…

The National Audit Office of the Argentine Nation (AGN), the nation’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), will host the 2018 LXVIII Board of Directors meeting and the XXVIII Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) General Assembly in…

Ms. Natalya Godunova was appointed as a Chairman of the Accounts Committee for Control over Execution of the Republican Budget for the Republic of Kazakhstan in February 2018. She began her career as an economist at Agroprombank Ural in 1993 and has served in numerous high-level positions…

upreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) play a critical role in promoting sound financial management and accountable, transparent government. SAIs, largely seen as independent watchdogs acting for the greater good of the people, are well positioned to contribute. Yet, the full potential for SAIs to add value and benefit the lives of citizens is often hampered by a lack of capacity…

Changes in legislation regulating oversight activity became effective in the Republic of Belarus January 1, 2018. These innovations, outlined in the presidential decree “On Measures to Improve Control (Oversight) Activities,” were developed by a specially created working group headed by the Supreme Audit Institution of Belarus…

The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI)-Region Coordination Platform provides INTOSAI with a single point of contact for all INTOSAI organs and regional organizations. The platform, held annually, provides a forum to coordinate, consult, explore synergies and align INTOSAI efforts to support the successful implementation of the INTOSAI Strategic Plan 2017-2022 and better address the INTOSAI value chain…