Workshops to enhance environmental audit capabilities
29 July 2021
Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) and the Regional Working Group on Environmental Auditing (RWGEA) are giving Pacific auditors an introduction to environmental auditing and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from an environmental perspective.
Fifty-six participants (38 female, 18 male) from supreme audit institutions (SAIs) in American Samoa, Australia (national office), Chuuk, Fiji, French Polynesia, FSM National, Guam, Kiribati, Kosrae, New South Wales, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Pohnpei and Tonga will participate in two part-day online workshops from 29 to 30 July 2021. A representative from one of PASAI’s development partners will also observe.
The sessions on both days include pre-recorded videos by Dr Vivi Niemenmaa (Secretary General, INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing) and live ‘Q and A’ sessions with Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo (Director Practice Development – PASAI) and Jonathan Keate (Senior Solicitor Sector Manager – Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand).
SAIs play an important role in providing Parliament and members of the public with credible information on the effectiveness of government programmes that aim to improve environmental outcomes and make a difference in the lives of citizens.
In the past, PASAI members have participated in RWGEA meetings to share knowledge and experiences in environmental auditing. PASAI members have also conducted environmental audits as part of PASAI’s cooperative audit programme and more recently, an audit on SDG preparedness.
Mr Keate, who is the RWGEA Coordinator, encouraged participants to discuss current or planned environmental auditing activities saying, “The PASAI Secretariat and I are here to provide support”.
The training is targeted at performance auditors and those in management positions who manage environmental and/or performance audits in the SAI.
Ms Palamo-Iosefo said, “Although environmental auditing is much like other performance auditing, the workshops will cover specific elements relevant to environmental auditing and provide an overview of the concept of sustainable development, the global sustainability processes from 1992 onwards and the United Nation’s Agenda 2030”.
Workshop participants will discover how SAIs around the world have approached the SDGs, find out how SAIs can contribute to the follow-up and review process of the SDGs and learn about the relationship between environmental issues and SDGs through relevant audit cases and international examples of cooperative audits.
Following the workshops, auditors should be able to integrate the SDGs into their organisational planning and auditing.
PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
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Contact information:
Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Director Practice Development PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275
Jonathan Keate, Senior Solicitor Sector Manager Office of the Auditor-General, Wellington, New Zealand
E: jonathan.keate@oag.parliament.nz P: +64 4 917 1544