TCU Opens Fourth Edition of ProInter with Focus on Women in Leadership

On August 31, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) opened the fourth edition of its Exchange Program in Audit and Government Management (ProInter) Women in Leadership. The initiative brings together women who hold or aspire to leadership positions in oversight institutions and the Legislative Branch, with the aim of strengthening skills, fostering the exchange of experiences, and expanding networks of cooperation.

At the opening ceremony, TCU Secretary General for Government Audit Juliana Pontes highlighted that the initiative's impact goes beyond leadership development and extends to how participants come to recognize their own abilities. More than a leadership course, this is a training program where we learn to see and accept ourselves for who we are, with the characteristics and opportunities we have. The program enables women to open themselves up to new experiences and, who knows, perhaps even become leaders, she said.

Juliana also shared experiences from her own professional journey and underscored the importance of women in leadership positions supporting other women. Wherever we are, whatever leadership position we hold, let's empower women, bring other women alongside us, and move forward together, supporting one another, she said.

Ana Cristina Novaes, director of the Serzedello Corrêa Capacity Development Institute (ISC), welcomed the Brazilian and international participants and highlighted network-building as one of ProInter's main outcomes. The most important thing about this program is that, as women, we see ourselves in one another. We can recognize our potential and also see, as if in a mirror, what we need to develop, she said.

The current edition offers up to 40 places for participants from the Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (OISC-CPLP), state and municipal courts of accounts, the TCU, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Federal Senate. The program has a hybrid format: the initial stage takes place online from August 31 to September 2; the in-person activities will be held in Brasília from September 21 to 25; and the consolidation stage is scheduled for November.

Arsênio Paulo, adviser to the PALOP-TL Regional Economic Governance Program (Pro PALOP-TL), highlighted how the initiative has grown since its first edition, offering new opportunities for training and exchange. We started with a simpler course involving colleagues from the supreme audit institutions of the CPLP, and today the program is much larger. It is an opportunity to build capacity, share experiences and challenges, and forge connections that continue beyond the in-person meeting, he said.

Representing the system of courts of accounts, Naluh Gouveia, a member of the Court of Accounts of the State of Acre (TCE-AC), highlighted the strengthening of women's networks within the oversight system and the growing participation of women in discussions on issues of relevance to society. Today, we have leading female auditors and members of the courts of accounts. Women are increasingly present and contributing to discussions on issues such as early childhood, climate, sanitation, and the protection of women, she said.

The program for this initial stage includes discussions on gender mainstreaming, regulatory frameworks, good practices for promoting equality, and the relationship between gender, budget decisions, and climate change. The program also includes the methodology of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions.

UNDP Participation

During the opening session, UNDP consultant Vivian Souza presented data and concepts on gender inequality and drew attention to the unequal distribution of care work. According to her, although women are widely represented in the labor market, they continue to shoulder most unpaid domestic and care work.

Women perform an amount of unpaid work that is typically twice as high as the number of hours men devote each week to the same type of work. This means less time available to participate in the labor market, earn money, develop professional skills, or pursue further training, she explained.

Vivian linked this burden to the concept of time poverty, which helps explain inequalities that go beyond income. We have less time that we can freely dispose of. Just as we tend to have fewer resources as a result of structural factors, we also have less time. So, it is not only a poverty of resources that affects women; it is also a poverty of time, she said.

According to Vivian, strengthening women's representation in leadership positions also requires understanding that gender inequality is intertwined with other social factors. Inequality is not just a matter of gender. It is also shaped by race, social class, age, disability, and access to education. We need to be able to see these different layers and understand our own position within them so that we can act with intention, she said.

In addition to developing leadership skills, ProInter seeks to disseminate strategies for overseeing and evaluating public policies with a focus on human rights, diversity, and inclusion. At the end of the program, participants are expected to develop projects proposing practical solutions to challenges faced by the institutions where they work, addressing topics such as women in leadership, support networks, organizational culture, gender perspectives in oversight, and the relationship between gender, climate, and public finance.