On April 16 and 17, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) hosted the SAI20 Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). The technical meeting brought together 66 representatives from 13 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the G20. The event was the last preparatory initiative for the SAI20 Summit, which will be held in Belém (PA) in June.  

The meeting resulted in the drafting of the first version of the Communiqué, a declaration that contains priority recommendations from SAIs for governments to promote more efficient and effective actions against the climate crisis, hunger, and poverty. 

In the Communiqué, the SAI20 acknowledges the interconnected urgency of energy transitions and the fight against hunger and poverty. Therefore, it urges governments to take action by establishing action strategies that consider social, environmental, economic, and financial indicators, creating conducive policies that encourage investment, and instituting rules and standards to measure and monitor poverty in a multidimensional way. 

Raisa Ojala, the director of International Cooperation at the TCU, expressed a positive evaluation of the meeting. She says that the meeting was marked by collaboration and engagement, with all parties being heard. 

"The Communiqué was drafted through an unprecedented collaborative effort for SAI20, leveraging our collective wisdom to write important messages to world leaders. The outcome of the discussions reflects our valuable contributions to the G20 dialogues, particularly regarding hunger, poverty, energy transitions, and climate finance, from the perspective of Supreme Audit Institutions. I am confident that our voices will be heard and valued," says Raisa. 

The TCU and other institutions comprising the Communiqué Drafting Group will refine the agreed-upon text based on considerations from the final plenary session, considering the need for consensus when presenting the declaration at the SAI20 Summit. Following validation of the Communiqué at the SAI20 Summit, the final document will be submitted to the G20.

Participations

The meeting was opened by TCU Minister Jorge Oliveira and closed by TCU External Control general secretary, Ana Paula Sampaio. In addition to SAIs, the event was attended by representatives from various organizations including the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GFLAC), and National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy in Mexico (CONEVAL).

Learn more: SAI20 Meeting begins with discussions on sustainable development