ClimateScanner comes at a crucial time, when Brazil assumes the INTOSAI presidency. Currently, the organization gathers more country-members than the United Nations (UN) and holds a relevant international role: supporting audit institutions to enhance control over public expenses in their respective countries, thus contributing to the improvement of the population’s life quality.   

The tool has already been presented to several multilateral institutions. Representatives of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts have been carrying out official meetings with authorities from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Organization of American States (OAS).

"Unfortunately, in the past years, Brazil has been projecting a negative image for not being able to efficiently address climate change. It is imperative that we renew the importance and seriousness of the issue. In the TCU, we believe this is the opportunity to recover the leadership and respect that we have always had regarding the environmental agenda”, points out the President of the Court, minister Bruno Dantas.

LAUNCHING

The ClimateScanner will be launched at the XXIV International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI), which started last Monday (7) and will be carried out until November 11, in Rio de Janeiro.

The congress gathers representatives from more than 150 INTOSAI members. The agenda expects that the development of the tool as well as the testing with countries from different regions of the globe will be carried out in 2023. The execution and promotion are planned for 2024.  

“On many occasions, governments try to paint a pretty ‘picture’ of how they address climate change. However, control institutions have as their mission to make independent assessments about their governments. We are building a network with control institutions associated with INTOSAI in order to assess the information presented by their countries. These entities are the ones responsible for providing information to the world scanner”, explains Dantas.

THE TOPIC WITHIN INTOSAI

Climate change is part of the Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) agenda. The WGEA was created in 1992 and currently comprises more than 80 supreme audit institutions.  Its goal is to support audit organizations with regards to activities on environmental auditing and climate change.

In 2021, the WGEA and 68 control institutions carried out the 10^th Survey on Environmental Auditing, which takes place every three years, to map the global status in terms of environmental audit practices in the public sector. The theme “climate, air, atmosphere” was pointed out as the most relevant topic within the environmental work agenda for the next years. 

The group’s next work plan, approved at the XXI WGEA General Assembly for 2023-2025, is structured in two axes: a) climate and biodiversity; and b) green economy. The climate and biodiversity axis already includes the ClimateScanner global initiative as one of its main projects.  

ABOUT THE INTOSAI

Founded in 1953, the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) is an autonomous, independent, and non-political organization that currently gathers more than 196 members.  It is the central point for supreme audit institutions worldwide and the responsible for providing international standards within the public sector. It works as a forum for discussions and exchange of knowledge and experiences between countries. INTOSAI represents the voice of each external control institution within the international community.

ABOUT THE INCOSAI 

The International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI) is the supreme organ of INTOSAI. A deliberative meeting that is carried out every three years. The 2022 INCOSAI is currently taking place in Rio de Janeiro, from November 7 to 11.