Rarotonga, Cook Islands: The Right Honourable Helen Clark was the keynote speaker for the first day of the 25th Congress of the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) which started today.

After an official welcome arranged by the Ministry of Culture, Cook Islands Prime Minister, Mark Brown, opened proceedings and linked a culture of transparency and accountability across the public sector with audit office independence.

“The work of the Auditor-General should give both Parliament and the public an independent assurance that public entities are presenting a true and honest account of their operations and their performance,” said Prime Minister Brown.

Helen Clark is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator. She was invited to attend the Congress in her capacity as the INTOSAI-Donor Cooperation Goodwill Ambassador for SAI Independence.

In her keynote address, Ms Clark said the challenges we face globally highlight the need for good governance and transparency, stating, “Independent oversight of public financial management is part of the checks and balances existing in any system of government and is essential for maintaining the trust citizens have in their government.

“By providing an independent and expert opinion on the regularity, propriety and performance of governments’ use of public resources, supreme audit institutions provide independent oversight and contribute to public accountability.”

Ms Clark lamented that three consecutive triannual SAI Global Stocktaking Reports have documented an overall decline in SAI independence and advocated for an inclusive and ‘all hands on deck’ approach to build global coalitions of influencers.

She referred to a webinar hosted by the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand as one regional approach to SAI independence advocacy, addressing it, “from the integrity lens and facilitating dialogues with other institutions, like parliaments, anti-corruption bodies and ombudspersons.”

Ms Clark commended PASAI on the regional support it has provided to members to defend and attain sufficient levels of SAI independence, singling out Tonga and Tuvalu for passing bills that fortified key aspects independence in legislation.

She gave the examples of SAIs successfully demonstrating their value by publishing audits of high interest and importance, such as government action on Sustainable Development Goals or of stimulus packages provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She implored SAIs to, “focus on stakeholder engagement and their interactions with other actors in the accountability ecosystem, which includes Parliament, integrity institutions, but also non-state actors, like civil society organisations and media.”

Speaking more generally about the importance of SAIs in public financial management systems, Ms Clark said, “I have a particular interest in the good work that SAIs across the Pacific region are doing with regards to strengthening performance. This can only lead to better outcomes for people of Pacific Island nations.”

PASAI Secretary-General, John Ryan, and the Director of Audit for the Cook Islands, Desmond Wildin, were delighted Ms Clark accepted the invitation to attend the Congress.

Ahead of Congress, Mr Ryan, who is also the Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand said, “Helen Clark is a highly respected leader and tireless advocate for robust governance and the importance of the role of the independent public sector auditor. Congress delegates will undoubtedly benefit from her considerable insights.”

Mr Wildin, who today became Chair of the PASAI Governing Board, said, “Helen Clark brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our already strong programme.

“We are grateful for her advocacy for the importance of auditor independence and strong public financial management systems.”

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).

Background information:

PASAI is the official association of supreme audit institutions (SAIs) in the Pacific region. It has 29 member audit offices and is one of seven regional organisations belonging to the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI).

PASAI promotes transparent, accountable, effective and efficient use of public sector resources in the Pacific. It helps its member SAIs improve the quality of public sector auditing to recognised high standards.

The 25th PASAI Congress runs from Monday 20 to Friday 24 May 2024. Its theme is, ‘Strengthening performance: making a difference in the lives of Pacific people.’

Representatives of 27 PASAI member offices, supporting development partners and dignitaries from local and overseas ministries are attending the five-day meeting.

Congress attendees will be sharing thoughts and experiences on topics such as corruption prevention, audit quality, assessing government actions on climate change and SAI independence. They also plan to adopt PASAI’s next 10-year strategy, which has been collaboratively developed over the previous 18 months.

PASAI will publish a communiqué following Congress and will make a video of the Rt Hon Helen Clark’s keynote address available on its YouTube channel.

Ms Clark’s attendance at the Congress follows on from her participation in a PASAI webinar on ‘Building strong national integrity systems in the Pacific region’ in late 2022. She also contributed to PASAI’s 23rd Congress in 2021 in which most participants attended remotely due to international travel restrictions at the time.

Ms Clark’s official website is www.helenclarknz.com.

Image source: International Journal of Government Auditing

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Contact information:

Esther Lameko-Poutoa, Chief Executive PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: secretariat@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

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