Article discusses the TCU experience in promoting gender equality
Text by the coordinator of the Court's Technical Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Marcela Timoteo, published in the Asian Journal of Government Audit, addresses gender inequality at a global level
Por Secom
With the theme "Supreme Audit Institutions and the promotion of gender equality: the case of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts - SAI Brazil," the article by Marcela De Oliveira Timoteo, auditor at the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) and coordinator of the Technical Committee of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion of the TCU, discusses persistent gender inequality at a global level. The material appeared in the Asian Journal of Government Audit (ASOSAI Journal).
The author points out that gender inequality represents a structural challenge for most countries. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, if current trends continue, it will take 132 years for the world to achieve gender equality in areas such as health, education, economic participation, and political empowerment.
The work also highlights the role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in promoting gender equality. Globally, SAIs still have a long way to go on gender equality in their organizational frameworks, with only 29% of leaders and 39% of managers being women.
To address this issue, the TCU implemented measures such as expanding female representation in leadership positions, increasing the percentage of women in senior management posts from about 12% in 2020 to 30% in 2023, and incorporating the gender perspective in audits, including the analysis of issues related to domestic violence and femicide, among others.
In addition, the TCU created the Audit Department for Equity and Human Rights Policies, an organizational unit focused on the intersectionality that addresses issues of gender, racial equality, protection of indigenous peoples, the LGBTQIAPN+ population, and people with disabilities.
The material emphasizes the responsibility of SAIs to promote gender equality and the importance of sharing experiences, such as that of the Court, to strengthen international cooperation between these institutions in advancing the topic.
Read the full article here.