Regional auditors set plan

Wednesday 1: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) Transitional Working Group (TWG) met in Wellington last week to finalise its charter.

Members also reviewed programme funding and staff resource arrangements, discussed a framework for a capacity development programme, and developed a proposal for mobilising a cooperative performance audit.

The group’s committee chairman, Paul Allsworth, auditor general of the Cook Islands, commented that the meeting successfully met its objectives, with substantive inputs from auditors general and partner agencies which allowed for good progress on design, planning and resource allocation for the various initiatives planned under the Pacific Regional Audit Initiative (PRAI).

This initiative was developed through an extensive 18-month consultative process under the guidance of PASAI, with support from the Asian Development Bank and AusAID, under the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat’s co-ordination.

PASAI is a regional organisation representing 25 audit institutions in the Pacific, and is one of seven regional working groups of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions.

Kevin Brady, secretary general of PASAI noted that “the various initiatives will be managed by the strengthened PASAI Secretariat, once established.”

In the interim, preparatory initiatives will be managed by Eroni Vatuloka, currently auditor general of Fiji, who has been appointed to the position of programme coordinator.

The TWG comprises the auditors general from the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tuvalu. - Pacnews/HG