AFROSAI-e _Collaborative Audit for Integrating Environmental Risks in an Audit at Local Government

Report ID: 263

During the 2015,  AFROSAI-E Governing Board and Technical Update Meetings, the role of SAIs in addressing critical environmental challenges through their day-day audit activities was discussed. They decided to design a simplistic way to use SAIs’ existing financial and human resources to identify possible areas of improvement supported by solution-driven  planning towards environmental focus and decide to conduct an Environmental Risk Project.

The SAIs of South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Tanzania decided to participate in the program, which comprised, among others, the development of an e-learning programme, in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the execution of parallel audits and the development of a joint publication.

Find attached (in a merged file) the joint publication explaining the project methodology, as well as the  AUDIT REPORT ON MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTE IN HUYE DISTRICT – 2016 preparared by SAI Ruanda, as a result of the audit conducted in the framework of the Project.

Source: https://afrosai-e.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Integrating-Environmental-Audit-Risks-in-Audit-at-LG-level-Brochure1_00.pdf

Joint Report of the Paralllel Audit to the implementation of the NATURA 2000 NETWORK in Europe

Report ID: 271

Natura 2000 is an EU wide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive.

As stated in the European Commission strategy to protect Europe's most important wildlife areas, the aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It comprises Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive, and Special Protection Areas (SPA) designated under the 1979 Birds Directive.

From february to october 2007, the SAIs of Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, and United Kingdom participated in the audit, coordinated by the French Cour des Comptes with the technical  assistance of the European Court of Auditors.

The scope of the audit on implementation of the European Natura 2000 network was to  examine whether and how the provisions of the European Directives, and especially Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, were observed in an effective and efficient way. The audit examined three key elements, namely compliance, governance and funding.

Auditoría Coordinada Gobernanza de Fronteras – Sumario Ejecutivo con enfoque ambiental

Report ID: 286

En el marco de las actividades del Comité de Creación de Capacidades (CCC) de la Organización Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Entidades Fiscalizadoras Superiores (OLACEFS), las EFS de Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil (EFS Coordinadora), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, México, Paraguay, Perú y República Dominicana realizaron una auditoría coordinada a  para evaluar el nivel de implementación de buenas prácticas de gobernanza en las políticas de seguridad pública y desarrollo en las regiones fronterizas de sus respectivo países, con el fin de mejorar la implementación y gestión de acciones gubernamentales en estas regiones.

Esta auditoría contó con el apoyo técnico de la Cooperación Alemana a través de GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaf für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH – como parte del proyecto Fortalecimiento del Control Externo en el Área Ambiental, que se está implementando en asociación con la EFS de Brasil y la OLACEFS.

Para este trabajo, las EFS participantes aplicaron el Índice de Gobernanza de Políticas Nacionales de Fronteras (iGPNFron) y el informe conjunto se centra en la calidad de los factores estructurales vinculados a la gobernanza de las políticas nacionales de fronteras y no en el desempeño de la gestión de estas políticas.

FUENTE: https://www.olacefs.com/auditorias-coordinadas/

Coordinated Audit of Protected Areas (1st edition) - Executive Summary

Report ID: 311

Protected Areas (PA) are created considering the relevant natural characteristics of the territories, with defined geographical limits, and as a response to the need for biodiversity conservation. These areas are recognised by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a global strategy for biodiversity conservation. In this sense, the international commitment establishes targets for the protection of terrestrial and marine areas that must be achieved through the implementation of ecologically representative and effectively managed systems of protected areas.

In this context, within the framework of the activities of the Special Technical Commission on the Environment(COMTEMA) of the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS), the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (Coordinating SAI), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay (Coordinating SAI), Peru and Venezuela carried out a coordinated audit. This audit was supported by the German Cooperation GIZ.

The audit assessed whether Latin America's terrestrial protected areas have the institutional, regulatory and operational conditions necessary to achieve the objectives for which they were created. As part of this audit it was possible to evaluate 1120 protected areas in a standardised manner, which made it possible to produce a unique diagnosis of public policy on biodiversity conservation in the region.

To analyse the governance of protected areas, SAI Brazil created INDIMAPA, a method for the Evaluation of the Implementation and Management of Protected Areas. This georeferenced tool uses indicators and indexes which are displayed on maps, in addition to allowing the classification of protected areas into three ranges: red, yellow and green, corresponding respectively to the low, medium and high level of management implementation.

In this way, based on the coordinated audit, the society and the Control Institutions will be able to follow the evolution in the administration of the environmental public patrimony represented by the protected areas.

Source: https://www.olacefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Executive-Summary-Auditon-Protected-Areas-of-Latin-America-web.pdf

*This report is also available in spanish in the catalogue.

International Cooperation Audit Report "Environmental Management for the Protection of Natural Resources in the Amazon Region"

Report ID: 335

The Amazon Basin is equivalent to 41% of the South American Continental space, in which participate Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela and French Guiana, so that enables find a high number of thermic floors; hence, the diversity of endemic species of flora and fauna. In the Amazonia there are 1150 rivers of different magnitude that carry more than 20% of world’s freshwater.  All this richness is being in danger by the destructive combination created by the Global Warming and Deforestation

The singular importance of the Amazon Basin  motivated the Comptroller General's Offices of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and the Court of Accounts of Brazil to sign a Cooperation Agreement to conduct a coordinated audit to evaluate the management carried out by their respective governments regarding the policies of conservation and management of the natural and cultural heritage of the Amazon region.

Thi cooperative audit was performed under the framework of the activities of OLACEFS  Environment Special Technical Commission. The audit in cooperation included a selective evaluation of the principal public institutions of each country, in charge of implementing the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, in order to establish the proper level of compliance
with the commitments arising from said Treaty and the management executed by government entities.

The objectives of the audit were:

• To assess the management conducted by the governments of the countries of the Amazon Region, about meeting the goals and commitments established in the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, with the aim to elaborate a report that contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of the natural and cultural resources of the region.

• To assess the management developed by government agencies and entities responsible for the conservation, management of natural and cultural heritage of the Amazon region, aimed at finding sustainable development and social cohesion.

The audit was supported by In Went – Capacity Building International of Germany that accepted the initiative to develop the audit, through the regional office for the Andean countries, and also financed important aspects for the execution of this work.

Source: https://www.contraloria.gob.ec/Informativo/InformesAuditoriaAmbiental/AuditoriaAmbiental