Accountability for inclusive public services

This project aims to improved equality and the quality of life for women children youth persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people in 9 participating Indo-Pacific countries. This includes Fiji Laos Maldives Nepal Sri Lanka Thailand Tuvalu Vanuatu and Vietnam. The project seeks to enhance effectiveness of performance audits by Indo-Pacific SAIs by increasing accountability and transparency in public services for vulnerable populations especially women children and youth. It also aims to increase gender responsiveness and inclusivity in the performance audit practices of these Indo-Pacific SAIs primarily through delivery of the well-established Fellowship program to 16 Fellows (8 men and 8 women) for SAIs and training 578 performance auditors (306 men and 260 women). Audit topics are selected using a three-pronged approach that includes consulting with 16 CSOs and 9 media outlets with CSOs considering gender human rights the environment and impacts of climate change. Project activities include: (1) providing professional development (courses work experience and mentoring) on conducting performance audits consistent with international standards; (2) providing technical courses mentoring and support on each phase of a performance audit; (3) mentoring audit teams on developing audit report executive summaries briefing notes and formulating questions for oversight committee hearings; (4) providing capacity strengthening to supreme audit institution on civil society organizations engagement; and (5) developing and delivering training on audit planning (risk scoping and knowledge of business) focusing on gender and human rights within audit topics.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) enhanced effectiveness of performance audits by Indo-Pacific supreme audit institutions. This helped to increase accountability and transparency in public services for vulnerable populations especially women children and youth; and (2) increased gender responsiveness and inclusivity in Indo-Pacific supreme audit institutions and within their performance audit practices.