Strategic Priority 1: Strengthen SAI Independence

PASAI supports and encourages its members to be independent and sustainable institutions that make a difference to the quality of the public sector governance and service delivery for the benefit of their people. A strong independent SAI is essential for a country’s good governance and public financial management. We achieve this by:

Providing resources and guidance on SAI independence
The independence resource kit brings together all existing materials held by the Secretariat on SAI independence and makes it available as a single resource for member SAIs. The independence resource kit will enable member SAIs to assess their independence against international best practice and standards on SAI independence, identify gaps and short-falls and prepare an action plan to address these. The Secretariat provides legal advice and support to member SAIs to review their SAI legislation against the Mexico Declaration and assist with changes to improve them.

Educating stakeholders on public auditing
Stakeholders often misunderstand and/or undervalue public auditing. Consequently auditees, legislators, public accounts committees, financial management personnel, media, civil society, citizens and development partners have mismatched expectations of auditing, and resources allocated to SAIs are inadequate. The PASAI Secretariat together with its member SAIs will develop informational materials and deliver awareness workshops highlighting the focus and relevance of SAIs’ work and assist SAIs to convey this information to stakeholders.

Effectively communicate and engage with stakeholders
PASAI's regional communication strategy outlines how the Secretariat engages and communicates with its stakeholders. In relation to its members, a key measure of a SAI’s effectiveness is the impact of its recommendations. PASAI will provide editorial support to member SAIs to improve the communication of their findings and recommendations with stakeholders, including preparation of media releases. Communications training and advice will also be provided to SAI heads and staff, including guidance on how to present findings to public accounts committees and auditees.

READ THE REGIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY HERE