The Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (OISC/CPLP) held the 5th Seminar on “The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - The Role of Court of Auditors” in Funchal-Madeira, Portugal from 14 to 16 September. The Commissioner of Audit, Ho Veng On, on behalf of the Commission of Audit of Macao SAR Government, attended the seminar as an observer, and presented a paper entitled “The role of audit institutions in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”.

At the opening ceremony, Einar Gorrissen, the Director General of the INTOSAI Development Initiative, which is one of the executive units of INTOSAI, gave a detail description of the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development and its 17 goals.

In the presentation, Ho Veng On indicated that 193 member states of the United Nations who adopted the 2030 agenda and its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) committed to giving an explicit definition or recognition of the mandates of its Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), and drawing up the strategic plans to stipulate the responsibilities of government auditing should take for the implementation of 2030 agenda and the SDGs, while these responsibilities have already been written in the programs, policies, and rules of INTOSAI in promoting good governance, especially in regard to the prevention of corruption, the enhancement of transparency of public institutions and the sustainable development. In order to conduct the performance audit effectively and to further follow up the 17 SDGs and oversee the implementation of 169 concrete targets, which involve complex and multiple indexes of economy, society, environment and climate, SAIs should especially reinforce the multi-professional capacity of audit team, such as increasing the technicians and professionals from engineering, law, environment, statistics, sociology and other fields.

Besides, Ho Veng On expressed that SAIs can promote the implementation of government policies and works from the view of sustainable development, and conduct the performance audit in according to the standards of effectiveness efficiency and economy, so as to create good governance with transparency and accountability that SAIs have continually pursued for.

After the group discussion, Ho Veng On was invited to preside the session of sharing the discussion outcomes. Then, based on the conclusion of the keynote speeches and the outcomes of group discussion, delegations unanimously adopted the “Funchal Declaration”, which served as a common promise and commitment of OISC/CPLP to facilitate the fulfillment of 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the SDGs.

During his stay in Lisbon, Ho Veng On met with the new President of the Portuguese Court of Audits, Vitor Manuel da Silva Caldeira, to discuss topics such as the management of audit institutions and continuing training for auditors.

Representatives from SAIs of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Macau, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste attended this seminar.