Vietnam attends global meeting on SAI's role, climate change action

Also participating in the delegation were representatives of the Department of Personnel and Organization, Department of General Affairs, Department of International Cooperation, Specialised Audit Department No Ia, Specialised Audit Department No III, Regional State Audit Office No X, Department of Administration… Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang - Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations participated in the opening session of the meeting.
 
The meeting was co-organized by the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (Brazil's  Supreme Audit Institution) - the President of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) for the 2022-2025 term and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNDESA).
 
Attending the meeting were leaders of SAIs from more than 60 countries around the world; representatives of intergovernmental organizations; United Nations agencies and organizations...
 
Addressing the opening ceremony, Mr. Bruno Dantas – President of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts emphasized that coping with climate change is not only the shared responsibility of countries but also the responsibility of SAIs as these agencies hold a significant position in promoting action by governments.

Mr. Bruno Dantas added that the ClimateScanner Initiative within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2023-2030 and the Work Plan 2023-2025 of the Working Group on Environmental Auditing (INTOSAI WGEA)  is considered an ambitious project that can contribute to dealing with the climate crisis at both national and international levels. The ClimateScanner tool was developed by 17 SAIs in 2023.
 
However, he said, the success of the project needs the cooperation and enthusiastic participation of SAIs. Understanding the tool and related aspects in detail as well as the benefits received by SAIs and countries will help exploit the full potential of this project.
 
The 8-session meeting focused on issues such as INTOSAI's current initiatives on climate change; ClimateScanner Initiative: Learn about the Initiative framework and application; national climate governance assessment; assessment of climate change mitigation actions: commitments, strategies, and implementation; assessing climate adaptation actions: vulnerability, planning and implementation; assessing climate finance and resources at the national level; information on national climate action; launching the ClimateScanner Initiative: A Global Call and Future Plans.
 
On March 25, participants were guided to use the ClimateScanner tool in each country to conduct assessments and record results. The results will be presented at the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 29) by the end of 2024.
 
The ClimateScanner project aims to develop and disseminate innovative rapid assessment methodologies and tools to assess governments' actions to respond to climate change under 3 pillars: governance, public policy, and finance.
 
The governance pillar includes institutional aspects related to greenhouse gas emission mitigation and climate change adaptation. The public policy pillar addresses mitigation and adaptation aspects in a more specific and detailed way. The finance pillar refers to local, national, or transnational financing that supports climate change mitigation and adaptation actions, as defined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 
At the meeting, participants presented emerging issues on climate governance in countries and discussed the application of the tool in each country’s context, from which SAIs will provide a specific roadmap to pilot the tool in the near future.
 
Recognizing that Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, State Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan shared about the efforts of the Government of Vietnam in developing and issuing policies and national strategies... to effectively respond to the impacts of climate change and implement international commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Vietnam is an active and responsible member of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) Governing Board for the 2021-2024 period. To implement commitments stated in the Hanoi Declaration, over the years, SAV has conducted environmental audits related to environmental protection and climate change response, he said.

Also on March 25, the State Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan joined Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations to attend the UN General Assembly Session, which passed a draft resolution proposed by Việt Nam and some other countries designating June 11 as International Day of Play. The resolution was co-sponsored by 138 countries, with Việt Nam, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya and Luxembourg as co-authors.