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The EUROSAI Working Group on the Audit of Funds Allocated to Disasters and Catastrophes at its Хth Meeting in Warsaw (Poland) unanimously approved the draft Resolution on the extension of the mandate of the Working Group until 2027, supported extension of the chairmanship of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine in the Working Group for the next three-year period and approved the draft Strategic Plan of the Group for 2024-2027. At the end of May 2024, the documents will be presented for approval at the Governing Board and the Congress of EUROSAI.
The participants of the meeting also approved the Activity Report of the Working Group for 2021-2024. In general, representatives from 12 supreme audit institutions took part in the meeting: from Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Serbia, Moldova, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and the European Court of Auditors.
During welcoming representatives of European SAIs, Piotr Miklis, the Vice-President of the Supreme Audit Office of the Republic of Poland, emphasized the importance of the activity of the Working Group and expressed support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. In turn, Olha Pishchanska, the Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber, thanked all supreme audit institutions – members of the Group for ten years of fruitful work.
«The results of the Group’s ten-year work have helped national governments identify weaknesses in risk management and control systems, in particular, in the field of waste management, hazardous waste movement, flood protection and transboundary water pollution. We have made valuable recommendations to governments to improve the effectiveness of these measures”, – Olha Pishchanskasaid.
She also noted that natural cataclysms, man-made accidents, pandemics and armed conflicts have changed the lives of millions of people, therefore, according to the Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber, the cohesion of SAIs, national governments and international organizations is extremely important when responding to various types of disasters. At the same time, Olha Pishchanska emphasized that currently one of the biggest challenges facing Europe and the world is Russia’s armed aggression in Ukraine.
«“The consequences of Russia's military aggression endanger not only the security and stability of Ukraine’s regions. The war is the cause of numerous environmental disasters, in particular, the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP. There is also a potential threat to other hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine. These challenges emphasize the need to strengthen international law and the system of collective security. Moreover, it is more valuable not just to react to events that have already happened, but strategies for predicting and preventing these risks”, –», – підкреслила Olha Pishchanska emphasized.
In turn, Viktor Bohun, the Member of the Accounting Chamber, presenting the results of the Group’s 10-year activity, noted that economic crises and armed conflicts in different parts of the world create new risks for stability and security.
«“They affect migration flows, cause social instability and undermine sustainable development efforts. Therefore, in response to these challenges, our Working Group must actively work to develop and implement innovative approaches and recommendations for governments to improve disaster prevention and response systems. We understand that only through joint efforts, exchange of experience and knowledge we can build more sustainable and safer societies capable of effectively confronting modern global challenges”, – Viktor Bohun emphasized.
During the meeting, other delegates also presented their own experience in implementing control measures to prevent and eliminate the consequences of floods, as well as waste management. In addition, Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia discussed issues related to conducting of the follow-up audit of the International Coordinated Audit “Transboundary movements of waste in the light of the Basel Convention provisions”, the start of which is scheduled for 2025.
Additionally, on the margins of the meeting, organized by the Supreme Audit Office of the Republic of Poland, Olha Pishchanska had a meeting with Tomasz Bratek, Vice-President of the capital city of Warsaw. They discussed the issues of settlement of 150 000 temporarily displaced citizens of Ukraine in Warsaw. The Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber also met with Vasyl Zvarych, the Ambassador of Ukraine in Poland and discussed issues of bilateral Ukrainian-Polish cooperation.
At the end of the event, the Polish colleagues familiarized the participants of the Group’s meeting with the measures of responding to disasters, which are used by the special bodies of Poland for overcoming emergency situations.
Reference:
The EUROSAI Working Group on the Audit of Funds Allocated to Disasters and Catastrophes,, was established in 2014 according to the Resolution of the IX EUROSAI Congress. During the entire period, the Group is chaired by the Accounting Chamber.
