ALRAQABA . ISSUE 15
25
Article
Feature
of contingency funding, debt relief, new funding arrangements, and
capacity building. On the other hand, UNESCO has remarkable
contributions in the education domain, where immediate support is
provided to countries in an effort to minimize the disruption to the
education process and facilitate the continuity of learning, particularly in
economically vulnerable countries.
In that context, the International Organization for Supreme Audit
Institutions (INTOSAI) has complied with all the recommendations
sought by the United Nations. INTOSAI continues to provide support
and assistance to the INTOSAI members and bodies within its means,
taking into consideration the key limitations that affect the functioning
of the organization during the Coronavirus pandemic. In an attempt to
maintain sustained communication between members of the international
audit community, INTOSAI adopted the use of remote technology as
a new way for cooperation and exchange of knowledge among the
member SAIs.
In addition, INTOSAI has recommended that SAIs reassess
their respective approaches in certain areas of audit. It was also
recommended to develop new standards, particularly in the healthcare
domain, with a focus on how to deliver public services in the best way
possible for the benefit of the citizens. Besides, it is imperative that SAIs
maintain the quality of their services while considering the protection
of public funds and properties by ensuring proper management of the
funds allocated to deal with the pandemic outbreak and thereby achieve
the desired goals.
In light of the foregoing, the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit
Institutions (ARABOSAI), together with the SAIs of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries, have taken into consideration the directives
and recommendations furnished by INTOSAI in responding to the
pandemic. The GCC SAIs initiated to take all the preventive measures to
halt the outbreak of the Coronavirus within their communities. They have
also worked on raising awareness of their staff on the need to adhere
to the announced health requirements, in addition to carrying out their
audit work to the fullest in accordance with the precautions set by the
government to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
Accordingly, “Alraqaba” magazine had collected some examples of the
efforts made by the GCC SAIs in this domain. Such as the State Audit
Institution of the United Arab Emirates, the National Audit Office of the
Kingdom of Bahrain, the General Court of Audit of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, the State Audit Bureau of Qatar, and the State Audit Bureau
of Kuwait.
