The AGN participated in the cycle of conferences organized by the Technical Commission on Good Governance Practices (CTPBG) of the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) and the Colombian Citizen Action Corporation (AC-Colombia), within the framework of promoting practices to improve the presentation of information through the institutional portals of supreme audit institutions (SAIs).

This meeting focused on comparing and analyzing the editions 2017 and 2019 of the Index of Availability of Information to Citizens on the Institutional Management of Supreme Audit Institutions (IDIGI-SAI), a report that surveys the data contained on the websites of SAIs in the region regarding the information they provide to the external stakeholders, and identifies both good governance practices and recommendations for more transparent institutions.

The president of the AGN and the CTPBG, Jesús Rodríguez, recalled the journey that culminated in the creation of this report, emphasizing compliance with the 2030 Agenda, where one of its objectives is “to guarantee public access to information.” Likewise, he stated, “we are convinced that, if we ratify the commitment and if we insist on the effort, we will be in a position to make a leap in quality that allows us to be accountable to the public. It is a substantive way of improving the condition of democratic institutions, and we all know that the quality and strength of institutions is the necessary condition for progress in our societies.”

In turn, María Canales, from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru shared her knowledge on the change in the communication strategy of her product; María Rodríguez, from the Supreme Audit Institution of Belize, told how it is to start from scratch to implement transparency processes when there is no communication area; and Fabián Forestieri, from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Paraguay, urged the need for political will, a regulatory and legislative framework, and internal momentum to face an institutional crisis.

“OLACEFS is the only INTOSAI region that developed this type of exercise, where an independent and critical assessment is made of the availability of information,” said Luis Fernando Velásquez Leal, executive director of AC-Colombia, and concluded: “We, as a civil society organization, want to strengthen good governance, and I believe we have contributed a grain of sand that would not have been possible without the commitment of the CTPBG and the SAIs. From this exercise, the region has much to teach other organizations around the world.

The event was attended by more than 60 officials from the different SAIs in the region.