ASOSAI Working Group on Environmental Audit started its work in Astana
Today, in the city of Astana, the Working Group on Environmental Audit of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (WGEA ASOSAI) began its 9th meeting. It was organized by the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The event was attended by representatives of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) from 16 foreign countries (Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Jordan, China, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Finland, Republic of Uzbekistan) - members of the WGEA ASOSAI, representatives of UNDP, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the representative office of the Asian Development Bank in Kazakhstan, the Akimat of the city of Astana and the Revision Commissions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) is important in environmental auditing and is critical to ensuring environmental responsibility, transparency and sustainability of the public sector. With growing recognition of environmental issues, the role of SAIs has expanded, and today, SAIs' mandates also include conducting environmental audits.
Environmental auditing received its development and dissemination after the development and approval of the international auditing standard 5200 “Guidelines for conducting audits from an environmental point of view.” A number of international standards and working documents in the field of environmental audit were developed, and Working Groups INTOSAI, EUROSAI, and ASOSAI were created.
Environmental audits are actively carried out in many countries. In Kazakhstan, environmental auditing has been included in the mandate of the Supreme Audit Chamber (SAC) since 2015. Currently, the SAC continues to work to improve the environmental audit methodology. This year, SAC became a participant in the international project IDI INTOSAI* and the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Audit.
At the opening ceremony, the Chairwoman of the SAI of Kazakhstan, Ms. Natalya Godunova, and the Deputy Auditor General of the SAI of China, Chairman of the WGEA ASOSAI, Mr. Li Feng, delivered a welcoming speech.
“Today, when environmental audit is becoming increasingly important in reducing the risks of environmental pollution, climate change, and food security, the exchange of experience is an integral part of improving the methodology of environmental audit,” noted Natalya Godunova.
In turn, Mr. Li Feng thanked for the warm welcome and emphasized the importance of the event. “WGEA ASOSAI will make every effort to promote the long-term and healthy development of environmental auditing in Asia,” said Mr. Li Feng.
Also, the Head of the SAI of Brazil and the Chairman of INTOSAI, Mr. Bruno Dantas, via video link, greeted the meeting participants and wished everyone fruitful work.
As part of the event, a bilateral meeting was held between the Chairwoman of the Supreme Chamber of Audit of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ms. Natalia Godunova, and the Auditor General of Nepal, Mr. Maheshwar Kaphle, following which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
In the afternoon, the meeting participants were presented with the INTOSAI WGEA Activities Report for 2023-2025 prepared by the SAI of Finland, the Climate Adaptation Project prepared by IDI, and the Climate Scanner Project prepared by the SAI of Brazil.
In addition, China's Supreme Audit Institution held a seminar on climate change, environmental protection and drinking water safety.
The meeting will continue its work the next day - August 24, where the participants will hear reports on the activities of the WGEA ASOSAI and other regional divisions.
* IDI INTOSAI (INTOSAI Development Initiative) is an independent legal body of INTOSAI that supports the development of the capacity of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), mainly in developing countries.
Press Service of the Supreme Audit Chamber