Tag: pandemic response

Understanding and adapting the role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in emergency situations became vitally…

I was Vice President of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) when COVID-19 broke out worldwide, posing extraordinary challenges to people and organizations. However, this was not the first time I had faced adversity. Having lived through difficult historical periods in Brazilian history, such as the years of military dictatorship, I have been…

In 2020, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Costa Rica, the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), designed a strategic audit approach to assess Bono Proteger, a government program that provides $100-200 USD cash payments, for up to three months, to…

In July 2021, the National Audit Office of Lithuania published a report assessing how the government has mitigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, as well as the availability of mental health services. The report also included a survey of the European Union’s Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) to learn about other countries’ efforts and experiences in this area. The National Audit Office found that…

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the United Kingdom’s National Audit Office (UK NAO) was able to effectively carry on its work by quickly pivoting to remote auditing and using technology to build relationships within the agency and around the world. Indeed, many auditors continued to conduct audits and publish audit reports without ever meeting their teams or clients in person. Aspects of UK NAO’s operations were not the only things to change. The Supreme Audit Institution’s (SAI) portfolio of work also…

The State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand (SAO) has been carefully monitoring the government’s response to the pandemic. This response has included establishing the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), regulating medical supplies, developing tracking applications, and preparing vaccinations.
Under the leadership of Auditor General Prajuck Boonyoung, SAO Thailand has…

On May 25, 2021, Mr. Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, led a virtual discussion group on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 30 organizations—including INTOSAI organizations and 21 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), donor and civil society organizations, and United Nations organizations and observers—contributed to the dialogue. The group stems from…

The Office of the Comptroller General of Peru, the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), has deployed more than 500 auditors nationwide to help ensure that the COVID-19 vaccination process is timely, safe, and effective. Special teams of auditors are…

In complementary efforts, INTOSAI and the General Court of Audit of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), have provided funding to SAIs to help with continuity of operations during the pandemic. Under the leadership of Dr. Hussam Alangari, Auditor General of Saudi Arabia, and Mr. Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States…

Amid a global pandemic that is forcing governments around the world to launch new spending measures, the International Budget Partnership’s (IBP) latest Open Budget Survey (OBS) shows why there is reason for concern: four out of five of the 117 governments assessed failed to reach the minimum threshold for adequate…

The COVID-19 Pandemic is more than a health crisis; it impacts the political, social, economic, religious and financial structures of the entire world. Pandemic impacts have also prompted changes in audit practices. The Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (CAROSAI) implemented a survey in May 2020 to explore…

The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Policy, Finance, and Administration Committee (PFAC) COVID-19 Initiative (Initiative) recently launched a website to help INTOSAI and Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) continue serving citizens and governments in this new, challenging environment. As a response to the global effects of the pandemic…

At the end of March 2020, due to the coronavirus spread in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) suspended a large proportion of audits while maintaining high priority examinations. This reorientation aims to…

As part of the “Sharaka” cooperation program with the Netherlands Court of Audit (NCA), the Algerian Court of Accounts (COA) organized two training courses in January, which included COA magistrates and auditors as well as NCA experts. At the end of the training sessions…

The COVID-19 Pandemic, and the Australian Government’s response to it, significantly affects national public sector risks. This change in risk environment directly impacts work undertaken by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) across…

Given the imminent arrival, spread and impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Guatemala, the President of the Republic and Council of Ministers declared a state of national emergency in March 2020. This declaration included social distancing provisions, which prevent large concentrations of people and limit travel. When the state of emergency was announced, Guatemala’s Office of the General Comptroller of Accounts…

The COVID-19 Pandemic has posed significant challenges to public health, the global economy, our governments, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), and the citizens we serve. As an independent, non-partisan, objective agency, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides oversight of the federal response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. GAO has…