Annual meeting of the INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee, INTOSAI Donor Cooperation and IFAC's MOSAIC
While each Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) has primary responsibility for identifying and addressing its own capacity development needs based on its strategic and related development plans, the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) strives to ensure that each of its members benefits from capacity development initiatives , to the extent that it is relevant for their needs. The INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee (CBC) plays a special role in this, focused on developing the abilities and professional capacities of SAIs through education, technical assistance and other development activities.
The INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee, whose member is the State Audit Office of the Republic of Croatia as one of the representatives of the EUROSAI region, for the first time since the meeting in July 2019, i.e. the first time after the pandemic, gathered its members and other key stakeholders to discuss ways in which Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) can maximize the development of their institutional capacities and professional capabilities. The focus of the meeting was on important areas of capacity development of the SAIs and regional organizations, and the search for solutions for current development challenges with a special focus on ways of partnership and cooperation in support of development needs. Special attention is paid to the importance of managing employees and their competencies, quality of management and success factors for the relevance and influence of SAIs.
Ivan Klešić, the Auditor General, and his associats actively participated in the relevant meeting on June 20 and 21, 2023, held in Kingston, which was hosted by the State Audit Office of Jamaica.
The first day of the meeting (June 20) began with introductory presentations, including a look at the opportunities created by the new INTOSAI Strategic Plan and Goal 2 of the INTOSAI Operational Plan. The next three years will be an opportunity to partnering in various ways to support SAIs' capacity development, as well as to deepen already established partnerships to support SAIs and improve public financial management.
After that, nine round tables related to the work streams of the Capacity Development Committee were held, to learn more about their latest work and to expand the contribution of members and stakeholders.
Likewise, representatives of the European Commission presented the latest Peer-to-Peer mapping study (Final report on EU-funded study: "Peer-to-Peer Capacity Development Support to Supreme Audit Institutions"), as a valuable contribution to solving challenges and opportunities in in this important area, i.e. help in better understanding of different capacity development support models and funding modalities, good practices recognized so far that can be spread among stakeholders and possible solutions for establishing partnerships where they are not yet sufficiently established.
In line with the overarching theme "Partnership for Stronger Supreme Audit Institutions and Improved Public Finance Management", the second day (June 21) began with a discussion that continued and built on the perspectives discussed during the 2022 online meeting of the INTOSAI Regional Coordination Platform and the challenges and opportunities listed in INTOSAI's Strategic Goal 2 of the Operational Plan for 2023-25. It continues by exploring the role that SAIs, their INTOSAI regions, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and the donor community can play to take advantage of existing opportunities. The highlighted topics of the meeting related to the following areas:
• How to increase peer-to-peer support as a vital form of capacity development
• Building an effective ecosystem of partners for capacity development
• The capacity of regional organizations as a key success factor for SAI development.
In the following, a discussion was started on the topic of the quality of human resources in SAIs, especially from the aspect of the recently aproved INTOSAI standards ISSAI 150, GUIDS 1950 and 1951 and the CBC HR Guide. The focus of the discussion was on the importance of quality management of employees, including competence management, and how to find solutions for the challenges SAIs face in this area, especially considering the new circumstances in the environment.
Given the vital importance of audit quality for the relevance of SAIs, the final discussion focused on important developments in quality management and finding solutions to challenges, especially in small SAIs, and on the importance of monitoring SAIs' performance.
The INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee, whose member is the State Audit Office of the Republic of Croatia as one of the representatives of the EUROSAI region, for the first time since the meeting in July 2019, i.e. the first time after the pandemic, gathered its members and other key stakeholders to discuss ways in which Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) can maximize the development of their institutional capacities and professional capabilities. The focus of the meeting was on important areas of capacity development of the SAIs and regional organizations, and the search for solutions for current development challenges with a special focus on ways of partnership and cooperation in support of development needs. Special attention is paid to the importance of managing employees and their competencies, quality of management and success factors for the relevance and influence of SAIs.
Ivan Klešić, the Auditor General, and his associats actively participated in the relevant meeting on June 20 and 21, 2023, held in Kingston, which was hosted by the State Audit Office of Jamaica.
The first day of the meeting (June 20) began with introductory presentations, including a look at the opportunities created by the new INTOSAI Strategic Plan and Goal 2 of the INTOSAI Operational Plan. The next three years will be an opportunity to partnering in various ways to support SAIs' capacity development, as well as to deepen already established partnerships to support SAIs and improve public financial management.
After that, nine round tables related to the work streams of the Capacity Development Committee were held, to learn more about their latest work and to expand the contribution of members and stakeholders.
Likewise, representatives of the European Commission presented the latest Peer-to-Peer mapping study (Final report on EU-funded study: "Peer-to-Peer Capacity Development Support to Supreme Audit Institutions"), as a valuable contribution to solving challenges and opportunities in in this important area, i.e. help in better understanding of different capacity development support models and funding modalities, good practices recognized so far that can be spread among stakeholders and possible solutions for establishing partnerships where they are not yet sufficiently established.
In line with the overarching theme "Partnership for Stronger Supreme Audit Institutions and Improved Public Finance Management", the second day (June 21) began with a discussion that continued and built on the perspectives discussed during the 2022 online meeting of the INTOSAI Regional Coordination Platform and the challenges and opportunities listed in INTOSAI's Strategic Goal 2 of the Operational Plan for 2023-25. It continues by exploring the role that SAIs, their INTOSAI regions, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and the donor community can play to take advantage of existing opportunities. The highlighted topics of the meeting related to the following areas:
• How to increase peer-to-peer support as a vital form of capacity development
• Building an effective ecosystem of partners for capacity development
• The capacity of regional organizations as a key success factor for SAI development.
In the following, a discussion was started on the topic of the quality of human resources in SAIs, especially from the aspect of the recently aproved INTOSAI standards ISSAI 150, GUIDS 1950 and 1951 and the CBC HR Guide. The focus of the discussion was on the importance of quality management of employees, including competence management, and how to find solutions for the challenges SAIs face in this area, especially considering the new circumstances in the environment.
Given the vital importance of audit quality for the relevance of SAIs, the final discussion focused on important developments in quality management and finding solutions to challenges, especially in small SAIs, and on the importance of monitoring SAIs' performance.
