COORDINATED AUDIT ON GENDER EQUALITY PERFORMED BY THE SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS OF PUERTO RICO, CHILE AND COSTA RICA (1st gender audit in OLACEFS)

Report ID: 329

The first “Coordinated Audit on Gender Equality and Equity”  of the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS for its acronym in Spanish),was conducted as part of the action lines incorporated into the work plan of the Technical Commission for Citizen Participation (CTPC) and was supported by the German Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH), through the OLACEFS-GIZ program.

This Coordinated Audit began in 2014 with the participation of  the SAIs of Chile, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico that resulted in the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding in November the same year. This Memorandum was based on each SAI authority’s interest in performing an audit of this nature, specifically in the areas of education, health and employment, thus contributing with the fulfillment of international commitments made by each of the participating countries in this audit and in turn positioning at the level of OLACEFS on this matter.

The audit analyzed the progress in gender equity and equality in Puerto Rico, Chile and Costa Rica. At first, the audit on a subject or a specific program related to gender equity and equality was carried out on a national level by each participating SAI.

Specific Objectives of the audit:

a) To verify the progress in the implementation of one topic or program linked with the subject of gender equality and equity, in which each participating SAI of this audit will make the corresponding selection, according to their criteria of expertise.

b) To identify and present the common indicators results connected to the topic axis of education, health and employment related to the commitments acquired in international conventions.

c) To determine the criteria that would allow evaluating or assessing the results obtained in the measurements through applied common indicators, linked to the axis of education, health and employment.

As part of the audit, the SAIs of Puerto Rico, Chile and Costa Rica developed a Gender Equity Index, by which monitoring could be provided to a number of indicators linked with the fields of education, health and employment to demonstrate the progress in gender equity and equality in those countries in the period 2009-2013. All these within the framework of international agreements signed by the participating countries of this audit, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals. Because of the implementation of the Gender Equity Index (GEI), it was determined that countries showed progress on gender equity and equality between 2009 and 2013 (2012 in the case of Puerto Rico).

The results of a gender audit, among others, are:

- The evaluation of the implications, for both women and men in any included action, of legislation, programs and public policies to eliminate differences. - Detection of differences and serious problems. - The consideration of opinion of the personnel and the service users (citizens) regarding the achievements and reach of gender equality.

Likewise, the coordinated audit is aligned with the ISSAI 12 -The Value and Benefit of the SAI’s-, making difference in the lives of citizens given the fact that the participant SAI’s act to the benefit of the public interest given the importance of this matter and work on gender issue based on the government institutions that have the responsibility to report the accounts

Source: https://www.olacefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Informe_Ge%cc%81nero_Ingle%cc%81s.pdf

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT IN BRAZIL – Coordinated Audit (Executive Summary)

Report ID: 357

With a large population, Brazil has as one of its most difficult and complex missions to ensure universal, equal and free access to health care services, a right enshrined in the Federal Constitution itself. In this regard, the implementation of such public policy is faced with many challenges, as in the case of decentralization of actions, funding sources, the human resources required, and the management of the available financial resources.

Primary health care is the main point of entry into, and the communication hub for the entire health care network; and it should be the preferred contact of the users of the Unified Health System (SUS). At this level of care, the main needs of the population are identified, and that has a bearing on the planning and management of the other tiers.

Primary health care was the subject of this coordinated performance audit conducted by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) and by 29 Courts of Accounts (TC), signatories to the Technical Cooperation Agreement entered into on March 25, 2014. The object of this audit was to assess, through a coordinated audit, aspects related to the delivery of services, access, infrastructure and problem-solving capacity of primary health care to citizen-users. More specifically, to define that scope to assess whether primary health care management (at the federal, state and municipal levels) provides quality when delivering services. Therefore, it was considered that quality derives − among other variables − from managerial actions (management processes) implemented for primary health care.

Such auditing encompassed fieldwork − in a spontaneous manner − in 23 states and 317 cities, whose results were added with an electronic survey replied by 14 State Health Departments, 2,577 Municipal Health Departments and 175 Regional Health Management Offices. The audit questions were developed around three big subjects: planning, people management, and monitoring and assessment.

The Executive Summary  presents the main results from the audit that was carried out; and constitutes a strategic tool for improving the management of those services, as it offers an excellent diagnosis of the infrastructure, access, delivery of services, and the problem solving capacity of primary health care. The report contains reference to good practices.

Source: https://portal.tcu.gov.br/biblioteca-digital/auditoria-coordenada-na-atencao-basica-a-saude.htm

Resumo Executivo - Auditoria Coordenada das Áreas Protegidas (1ª edição)

Report ID: 372

As Áreas Protegidas (AP) são criadas considerando as características naturais relevantes dos territórios, com fronteiras geográficas definidas, e como uma resposta à necessidade de conservação da biodiversidade. Estas áreas são reconhecidas pela Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre Diversidade Biológica (CDB) como uma estratégia global para a conservação da biodiversidade. Neste sentido, o compromisso internacional estabelece objectivos para a protecção de áreas terrestres e marinhas que devem ser alcançados através da implementação de sistemas de áreas protegidas ecologicamente representativos e geridos de forma eficaz.

Neste contexto, no âmbito das actividades da Comissão Técnica Especial sobre Ambiente (COMTEMA) da Organização das Instituições Supremas de Auditoria da América Latina e Caraíbas (OLACEFS), as Instituições Supremas de Auditoria (ISC) da Argentina, Bolívia, Brasil (ISC Coordenadora), Colômbia, Costa Rica, Equador, El Salvador, Honduras, México, Paraguai (ISC Coordenadora), Peru e Venezuela realizaram uma auditoria coordenada. Esta auditoria foi apoiada pela Cooperação Alemã GIZ.

A auditoria avaliou se as áreas protegidas terrestres na América Latina possuem as condições institucionais, regulamentares e operacionais necessárias para alcançar os objectivos para os quais foram criadas. Como parte desta auditoria, foi possível avaliar 1120 áreas protegidas de uma forma padronizada, o que permitiu a elaboração de um diagnóstico sem precedentes da política pública de conservação da biodiversidade na região.

Para analisar a governação de áreas protegidas, o TCU criou o INDIMAPA, um método para avaliar a implementação e gestão de áreas protegidas. Esta ferramenta geo-referenciada utiliza indicadores e índices que são visualizados em mapas, para além de permitir a classificação das áreas protegidas em três gamas: vermelho, amarelo e verde, correspondentes respectivamente ao baixo, médio e alto nível de implementação da gestão. Desta forma, a partir da auditoria coordenada, a sociedade e as Instituições de Controlo poderão acompanhar a evolução na gestão do património público ambiental representado pelas áreas protegidas.

Fonte: https://portal.tcu.gov.br/biblioteca-digital/auditoria-coordenada-nas-areas-protegidas-da-america-latina.htm

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EU‑funding of urban waste water treatment plants in the Danube river basin: further efforts needed in helping Member States to achieve EU waste water policy objectives

Report ID: 423

The waste water and sewage sludge from urban agglomerations can affect the quality of Europe’s lakes, rivers, coastal waters, soils and groundwater. As a result the EU has adopted a series of directives and has also co-financed the building of urban waste water treatment plants through the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.