Fishing Together for Corruption, Poverty Free Pacific
Governor Marcelino Petersion welcomed delegates from 19 Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) member countries to the State of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), as the 19th Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) Congress kicked off during the first week in August. Several development partners also attended this three-day event August 2-5, 2016, including the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), INTOSAI-Donor Secretariat in addition to stakeholders from the World Bank, the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, observers from the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Peter M. Christian, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, opened the Congress, followed by Mary Kendall, DOI Deputy Inspector General, who both emphasized the values of integrity, strength, trust and relationships as being key characteristics of auditors.
Lyn Provost, PASAI Secretary General and Auditor General of New Zealand, provided the keynote address, presenting her report on “Reflections From Our Audits: Governance and Accountability.” Her address focused on eight elements of good governance, as well as sharing the journey of PASAI. Provost completes her seven-year term this year.
SAI heads discussed the challenges and successes of their roles in combating corruption and poverty in the Pacific. Key solutions considered included advocating for legislative changes, working more closely with other government agencies and increasing public awareness on issues. International attendance beyond the Pacific region at this year’s congress signalled PASAI’s growing value on the global auditing stage.
SAI Samoa was nominated as a new PASAI member on the INTOSAI governing board, and the Chairmanship of PASAI was handed over by John Path, Auditor General of Vanuatu to Ihlen Joseph, Auditor General of Pohnpei, FSM.
The event concluded with SAI heads expressing appreciation to the development partners, stakeholders, observers and hosting SAI for their invaluable contributions to this year’s congress. The 20th PASAI Congress will be hosted in Tuvalu in 2017.
