Audit Institutions Crucial for Translating 2030 Agenda into Positive Change Worldwide, Secretary-General Tells International Congress

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the twenty-second International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions, delivered by Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, in Abu Dhabi today:

I am pleased to greet the International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions.  I thank the State Audit Institution of the United Arab Emirates for hosting this important event.

I am pleased that the Congress and the Audit Institutions community keep close ties across the United Nations system.  Our relationship has grown even stronger since the Congress obtained special consultative status at the Economic and Social Council.

These ties have resulted in two important General Assembly resolutions acknowledging the role of Supreme Audit Institutions in promoting efficient and accountable public administration, conducive to the implementation of development priorities.

This Congress takes place at a crucial moment.  This is the first year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals — the world’s blueprint for ending poverty and building lives of peace and dignity on a healthy planet.

I commend the Congress for focusing on how it can contribute, including by helping to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening the fight against corruption and promoting the accountability of all stakeholders in translating the new agenda into positive change across the world.

External auditors provide important insight to legislative bodies, Governments and society on the outcomes of Sustainable Development Goals policies and issues of efficiency, probity and transparency.  You can drive change by ensuring that resources go where they are needed most, and by compiling data and information on how to deliver on the Goals commitments.  I encourage you in particular to seize the potential of non-traditional statistics and big data to strengthen auditing processes.

Supreme Audit Institutions are at the core of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.  You play a critical role in the fight against illicit financial flows and corrupt practices, which undermine the efforts to finance the Sustainable Development Goals.

The strategic plan 2017-2022, which will be endorsed at this Congress, recognizes the contribution of Supreme Audit Institutions to the follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals as a strategic priority.  I am pleased to see this commitment and leadership.

To reach all of our goals, Governments and State institutions, public and private actors, and all people must work together.  I wish you a productive Congress, and thank you for your contributions.  The United Nations remains committed to assisting your efforts in support of sustainable development.