Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) has published a regional report on the audits of responses to climate-related matters by government agencies in 9 Pacific Island states.
Auditors from the government audit offices of the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu participated in the global cooperative audit initiative.
Each participating audit office in the Pacific region selected one of 3 audit topics; examining how well their governments are managing water resources, implementing climate change adaptation plans or actions, or taking action to adapt to the impact of sea level rise and coastal erosion.
Having provided guidance to the 9 Pacific Island audit teams since the audits started in 2024, PASAI Program Director and co-author of the report, Mike Scott, knows how personal this work is to the contributing auditors, saying, “The effects of climate change are real and literally at their doorsteps.
“They are experiencing more intense and frequent cyclones, droughts and flooding, erosion and saline intrusion, causing loss of ancestral homes, displacement of people, and health risks, threatening food and water security, and endangering children’s futures.”
The Pacific regional report on climate change adaptation actions identified that governments need to act now to:
secure available financing and expertise
better plan and target measures where they are needed
more effectively implement measures through more coordinated and inclusive action
ensure accountability through monitoring and reporting of intended outcomes.
Staff from PASAI, the Office of the Auditor-General New Zealand and government audit offices in Australia (the Audit Office of New South Wales, the Audit Office of South Australia and the Queenland Audit Offfice) mentored the Pacific Island auditors to plan, conduct, publish and promote their own audit work that contributed to the regional report.
PASAI Secretary-General and Auditor-General of New Zealand, Grant Taylor, launched the regional report today and stated, “This report shows the important roles audit offices can have as the voice of communities.
“The small teams involved in this audit initiative overcame significant obstacles to engage with communities so they could properly understand the real effects of climate change and adaptation actions on them and their livelihoods.”
Deputy Director General at the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiative, Archana Shirsat, said, “Pacific Island audit offices have, once again, contributed positively to climate adaptation, this time as a part of a global cooperative audit.
“We fully support the calls for action based on the audits and urge governments and key stakeholders to work together for the benefit of people in the Pacific,” she said.
Secretary General of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Audit (WGEA), Dr Vivi Niemenmaa, said she was encouraged to see so many Pacific Island audit offices join this cooperative audit.
”Pacific Island nations are on the frontline of climate change impacts and their voices are essential in shaping global responses. The urgency for greater action extends to small island developing states across the world,” she said.
The INTOSAI Development Initiative and WGEA were both involved in providing training and audit support to the Pacific Island audit offices. As part of this audit support, an experienced member of the Auditor General’s Office of the Maldives, a fellow small island developing state audit office, also provided valuable advice.
The regional report, links to individual audit reports and videos from contributing auditors are at pasai.org/regional-reports.
A global report which includes findings from the Pacific region will be presented at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November 2025.
PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
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Contact information:
Mike Scott, Program Director PASAI
E: mike.scott@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275
PDF version of this media release
