Amman: Undersecretary of the Kuwait State Audit Bureau (SAB) Yousef Al-Mazrouei emphasized the crucial role of supreme audit institutions’ independence in ensuring that public oversight efforts provide meaningful value to citizens and society.

According to Kuwait News Agency, Al-Mazrouei made these remarks during the 3rd annual seminar on the independence of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI), which commenced earlier today in Amman, Jordan. The two-day event is organized by the Jordan Audit Bureau and gathers around 40 participants, including heads of Arab audit institutions and parliamentarians from Jordan and other Arab countries.

In his statement, Al-Mazrouei stressed the necessity of institutional independence for the effective operation of oversight bodies. He noted that the opening statements by officials at the seminar highlighted the essential role of supreme audit institutions in Arab nations and the importance of executing their mandates with full authority.

He underscored that this marks the third consecutive year the seminar is being held, demonstrating ongoing efforts to enhance the independence of audit institutions and promote effective cooperation with parliaments in member countries of the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI).

The seminar’s agenda, Al-Mazrouei mentioned, includes comprehensive discussions on the independence of supreme audit institutions. It is anticipated to yield recommendations that reaffirm their autonomy in line with the legal, regulatory, and parliamentary frameworks of each country.

He also noted that the seminar aims to explore informal factors that may impact institutional independence across the region, facilitate the exchange of experiences, and review initiatives by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiative related to audit body independence.

Furthermore, the seminar will feature presentations on the global project concerning informal influences, along with the work of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on public trust and its relationship to institutional independence. It will also address the identification of informal factors in the INTOSAI context.

Participants will discuss mechanisms for rapid advocacy in support of independence, cooperation between audit institutions and civil society organizations, and support for legal units within supreme audit bodies. Al-Mazrouei commended the Jordanian Audit Bureau for its hospitality and the well-organized nature of the event.