TALLINN, 30 May 2013 - The National Audit Office of Estonia, as the Chair of the Working Group on Environmental Auditing of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI WGEA), is organising a General Assembly in Tallinn from 3-6 June 2013 which will be attended by over 160 delegates from the Supreme Audit Institutions of 70 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, France and Indonesia.
16 Auditors General and delegates from all over the world will attend the Assembly. The United Nations, the European Court of Auditors and the regional organisations of the Supreme Audit Institutions of Africa, the Arab states, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific region are also represented.
The meeting, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, will be opened by the President of the Riigikogu, Ene Ergma. Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus-Rosimannus and former Prime Minister and experienced climatologist Andres Tarand who will speak about the environment of Estonia and sustainable development on a broader scale. The head of the Assembly meeting is Estonian Auditor General Alar Karis as the Chair of the Working Group on Environmental Auditing of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI WGEA) .
The WGEA Assembly meetings are usually held every 18 months in different regions of the world. This is the best opportunity for public sector environmental auditors to learn about the experience of their colleagues and make plans for future cooperation. The main objective of the 15th Assembly is to approve the guidelines and research papers prepared in the last three years and to adopt the working plan for 2014-2016.
Transnational cooperation is often the key to solving environmental problems. Environmental auditing is not an exception. Attendees will speak about the following audit cooperation experiences at the assembly:
- Audit on the Mekong River Basin – Cooperative Audit of Thailand and Vietnam
- Joint Audit on Lake Chad – Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon
- Audit on Climate Change led by Norway
- Joint Audit on Transboundary Waste Shipment led by the Netherlands
- Audit on the Black Sea led by Ukraine
Guidelines on auditing the subject of water and detection of fraud and corruption in the area of the environment were prepared under the leadership of the INTOSAI WGEA. Research papers of the following areas were also prepared: use of environmental data in audits; environment and sustainability reporting; arrangement of land use and planning; environmental issues relating to infrastructure; and the impact of tourism on wildlife protection.
The nature of Estonia will also be outlined to the guests at the assembly. They will be taken to Lahemaa National Park, where they will learn about forestry and visit Oandu Nature Centre, a beaver trail, the Käsmu Maritime Museum and Vihula Manor.
Background
The National Audit Office of Estonia has chaired the activities of INTOSAI WGEA since 2008 and will officially pass on the role of Chair to the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia at the global INTOSAI congress (INCOSAI) being held in October.
The International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) was established in 1953. The National Audit Office of Estonia has been a member of INTOSAI since 1992 and has been participating in the Working Group on Environmental Auditing since 1996.
Journalists interested in covering the General Assembly should contact Kaire Kesküla (+372 640 0115, mobile +372 5190 3186, e-mail [email protected]) or Margit Lassi (+372 640 0100, e-mail [email protected]) for assistance.
The website of INTOSAI WGEA is http://www.environmental-auditing.org/.
Marika Kutškova
Communications Service Consultant
640 0704
[email protected]
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Posted:
5/30/2013 4:29 PM
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Last Update:
11/10/2015 5:28 PM
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Last Review:
11/10/2015 5:28 PM