On October 23, 24, and 25, the Special Technical Commission for the Environment (CONTEMA) of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) held a technical workshop to discuss the contribution of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) to enhance responses to the climate crisis. The workshop was also an opportunity to discuss the ClimateScanner project. 

The meeting took place in Santiago, Chile, with the collaboration of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the country’s SAI, the Office of the Comptroller General of Chile. The event was attended by representatives from OLACEFS’ SAIs, regional working groups on environmental auditing from the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), and partner organizations of the ClimateScanner initiative. 

Minister Jorge Oliveira opened the technical meeting on behalf of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU). As chair of INTOSAI until 2025, the Court coordinates the development of the ClimateScanner. In his speech, Oliveira highlighted the importance of joint actions in tackling sustainability challenges and stressed the need for cooperation to achieve global climate goals. 

"With the collaboration of audit institutions on the ClimateScanner, we will get insights not only about the national context of participating countries but also the global perspective of the main climate challenges that nations face. The consolidation and publication of these data will be a powerful tool for communication and persuasion on the topic", pointed out the minister. 

He stressed that climate change is one of the main global challenges of the century. "Given the magnitude and complexity of this problem, it requires the commitment and joint efforts of all nations", he said. 

The workshop was structured into technical sessions, allowing SAIs to share experiences, best practices, and lessons learned regarding their work on climate change. The event helped to engage regional environmental audit groups in the implementation of the ClimateScanner, promoting coordinated actions. Communication channels and strategies were also discussed to bring together the coordinator and team leader (TCU), SAIs, and the said regional groups throughout the 2023-2024 project. 

Global audit led by the TCU

ClimateScanner is a TCU initiative as chair of INTOSAI in collaboration with the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA). The main goal is to develop a methodology that enables SAIs to conduct a rapid assessment of national government actions related to climate change across three pillars: governance, financing, and public policies.  

The consolidation of national results will enable the creation of a global overview of actions to address the climate crisis.  

For more information, visit https://sites.tcu.gov.br/climatescanner/.