The Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS) and UN Under-Secretary-General, Jorge Moreira, met with the President of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Minister Bruno Dantas, on February 28th. During his visit to Brazil, Moreira was accompanied by his team members while at the President's Office.

He congratulated Dantas on TCU's upcoming mandate on the UN Board of Auditors, set to begin in July, and expressed his availability to establish partnerships with the Court. Moreira highlighted the long-standing relationship and collaboration between Brazil and UNOPS, mentioning technical cooperation projects in the fields of infrastructure, education, and climate change.

"This courtesy visit presents us with the opportunity of getting to know each other and congratulating TCU's team on the Court's upcoming mandate. We also want to propose cooperation through knowledge exchange,in areas such as technical assistance, project design and capacity building in countries of the global South," said Moreira.

Dantas extended an offer of assistance and cooperation to UNOPS, emphasizing that the TCU's experience in promoting and improving governance in public administration in Brazil is becoming increasingly relevant in helping institutions abroad. He also mentioned the importance of the TCU's international role, given its current leadership of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS).

“We acknowledge the existence of a certain asymmetry among audit institutions in Latin America, yet they all must deal with major infrastructure projects. We have helped some countries with low maturity in infrastructure projects to establish qualified technical bodies," explained Dantas. "We strongly believe in the transformative role of audit institutions. Certainly, the TCU and UNOPS have a lot to accomplish together," he concluded.

UNOPS is the fifth largest UN agency, with 6,000 employees. The institution operates in 85 countries, including Ukraine, where it currently leads the reconstruction efforts, and the Gaza Strip region, where it provides humanitarian aid through fuel supply. Delivering around a thousand projects annually in all the territories in which it operates, UNOPS focuses on infrastructure, education and sustainability projects in regions affected by fragility and violence.