The Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) has a Special Technical Commission for the Environment, known as COMTEMA, which was created in November 1998 during the VII General Ordinary Assembly of OLACEFS. The Commission aims to promote environmental audits, contribute to studies on the control of environmental management, and guarantee strengthening and integration of the member SAIs for OLACEFS.
The current presidency of COMTEMA is held by the Federal Court of Accounts of Brazil (TCU). COMTEMA’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2026 guides its long-term actions and enhances the impact of its main work processes. These activities include contributing to the improvement of environmental policies and strengthening the capacities of its members.
An interesting highlight during TCU’s presidency is the coordinated audit of protected areas which has been conducted twice between 2014 and 2020. The latest results can be found in the publication Coordinated Audit of Protected Areas (2019/2020). In 2023, a third similar audit will be carried out within the scope of the Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (OISC-CPLP) together with participating SAIs from Angola, Cape Green, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, and East Timor.
Find out more about the activities from the COMTEMA homepage.
For more information, please contact comtema@tcu.gov.br.
The INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) aims to increase the expertise in environmental auditing and to enhance environmental governance with high-quality contribution and visibility by both members of the Working Group and non–member SAIs. Currently the INTOSAI WGEA consists of 86 member countries.
