UN Panel of External Auditors can contribute to strengthening of accountability standards: CAG Murmu

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu has said that the UN Panel of External Auditors is uniquely placed to contribute to the strengthening of the transparency and accountability standards.

He also said the Panel is a distinctive forum for exchanging new ideas and sharing new methodologies to address the challenges ahead.

''The UN Panel of External Auditors is uniquely placed to contribute to the strengthening of standards of transparency and accountability in contemporary and emerging priority areas,'' Murmu said while giving his opening remarks as the chairman of the Panel at the 61st Regular Session of the panel in New York last night.

The session of the Panel is being held on December 6 and 7 as a hybrid session, hosted by the UN Headquarters in New York.

The meeting is being attended by representatives from Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ghana, Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Tanzania as an observer, an official statement said on Tuesday.

He said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, like all organisations, even the UN has faced numerous difficulties and disruption of regular activities.

Murmu also looked forward to the sessions on the impact of the pandemic, especially the discussions on how it has affected the operations of various UN entities and auditing activities, according to the statement.

''The pandemic has necessitated the adoption of new auditing methods and cutting-edge technology and also augmented our capacity and expertise in the long run,'' Murmu said.

The CAG of India also hoped that the panel delegates will deliberate upon ways to enhance organisational performance in the areas of emergency procurements, supply chain, investments, digital transformation, ESG framework, and update of accounting standards, among others, according to the statement.

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