Greenlines Newsletter

HAPPY 1998 AND THANKS ONCE AGAIN MR MERI AND STAFF

Let me take this somewhat late opportunity to wish you a happy and healthy 1998.

We would like to update you all on the progress made since Tallinn, September 1997. But before doing so, I would like to thank Mr. Lennart Meri, Auditor General of the Estonian SAI, once again for his generous hospitality. The very efficient organisation of the meeting and pleasant atmosphere were important contributions to the results of the meeting.

Saskia J. Stuiveling

MEETING IN TALLINN SUCCESFUL

The meeting of the Working Group on Environmental Auditing in Tallinn on 8 and 9 September, was very successful. Three documents were adopted by the Working Group, allowing for minor changes in the texts. These are the brochure "How SAIs may co-operate on the audit of international environmental accords", "The results of the second questionnaire on environmental auditing" and the proposal and paper on "Natural resource accounting". The Working Group agreed to present the

brochure "How SAIs may co-operate...", prepared by the Norwegian and Canadian SAI, as potential official INTOSAI document. Furthermore the Working Group agreed on the way to present itself at the XVIth INCOSAI and on the strategy for the next three year period. An important aspect of this strategy is to involve the INTOSAI regions.

It was also decided to further develop a booklet on "Standards and Guidelines for Environmental Auditing", under the leadership of New Zealand. This is to be an exposure draft for the XVIIth INCOSAI.

NEXT MEETING WORKING GROUP IN PERU

Mr. Juan Carlos Migone Guzman conveyed us the personal invitation of the President of the Peruvian SAI, Mr. Victor Enrique Caso Lay, to hold the next meeting in the upbeat to Uruguay in the capital of Peru, Lima. The invitation was embraced with great enthusiasm.

For your information: the President of the Netherlands SAI, Mr. Henk Koning, visited the Peruvian SAI on his way to the Govering Board in Uruguay, November 1997. He was impressed by the facilities and plans the Peruvian SAI has in mind for the Working Group meeting...........Details will follow later this year.

NEW MEMBERS: CHILE AND POLAND

While the President of the Netherlands SAI, Mr. Koning, visited his colleague in Peru, Mrs Saskia J. Stuiveling took up the invitation of the president of the Chilean SAI, Mr. Arturo Aylwin Azocar and his staff to visit the Chilean SAI. She enjoyed a very fruitful working visit both in the field (visiting for example some waste disposal projects) as in the office. Discussions touched on a wide range of topics. The Chilean SAI is enthusiastic about joining the Working Group.

Additionally we are very pleased that the president of the SAI of Poland , Mr. Janusz Wojciechowski, accepted the invitiation to become a member of the Working Group. Mr. Wojciechowski has appointed Mr. Zbigniew Wesolowski as his direct representative.

The chair welcomes both Sais as members of the Working Group !

GOVERNING BOARD PRAISED WORKING GROUP IN URUGUAY

At the 43rd meeting of the INTOSAI Governing Board in Uruguay, Mrs. Saskia J. Stuiveling presented the ideas of the Working Group for its presentation on the XVIth INCOSAI in Uruguay as well as the plans of the Working Group for the next period. You can find her speech on the homepage. The Governing Board praised the Working Group for its high productivity and expressed its appreciation for its products and plans. The Board agreed to make the brochure "How to co-operate on the audit of international environmental audits" an official INTOSAI document ! After the meeting many SAIs asked to receive a copy of the document.

In January 1998 the draft document was sent to all INTOSAI members for comments. So far 18 SAIs have responded.

HOMEPAGE EXTENDED

The homepage of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing <www.rekenkamer.nl/ea> has been extended to include the Working Group documents. These documents have been edited, adding the remarks which were made at the meeting in Tallinn. Furthermore a list of SAIs interested in co-operation in environmental audits has been added to the homepage, as well as a list of audit reports on the Working Group theme "fresh water".

COUNTRY-DOCUMENTS

Mrs. Henny Hendriks and Mrs. Sylvia van Leeuwen have completed the country-documents. As was agreed in Tallinn, the country documents were sent to the individual SAIs for verification in January 1998.

Working Group members who did not complete the questionnaire until now, are kindly requested to do so at the double !

INVOLVEMENT INTOSAI REGIONS

The chair has started the preparations of the involvement of INTOSAI regions. As a first step the Chairs and Secretary-Generals of the regions have received a letter asking them to share with the Working Group its structure, timetable and meeting places. Members of our Working Group in a position to underpin this request from the chair: please take the initiative.

To have an idea of what is ahead of us we have the need to map out the routines in the different regions for the coming years.

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