On December 22, 2021, a joint seminar on the exchange of experience in auditing SDGs for the SAIs of the CIS Member States was held.

The event was co-organized by the INTOSAI Working Group on SDGs and Key Sustainable Development Indicators led by the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation and the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI).

Member of the Board of SAI Russia Dmitry Zaitsev, spoke about the importance of the SDGs audit in the INTOSAI agenda and shared his practical experience in auditing the readiness of the public administration system to implement the SDGs. The event was prepared using the methodology of the Performance Audit of Preparedness for Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals developed by IDI, and was highly appreciated by experts from leading international organizations.. Based on the results of the audit, SAI Russia proposed recommendations for improving the public administration system in terms of implementation of the sustainable development agenda.

Deputy Director of IDI Archana Shirsat presented the main methodological approaches and tools for the ISAM implementation. On the basis of ISAM many SDGs audit activities have been promoted  by dozen SAIs. The model includes a list of recommendations, specific audit questions and  hypotheses, as well as sample audit design matrix. IDI constantly adapts and develops ISAM in accordance with the dynamics of SDGs implementation by the global community. The main goal is to introduce elements of predictive analytics that proactively identify shortcomings in national SDGs monitoring and implementation systems.

Sanan Agakishiev, Head of the Sector of the Efficiency Audit Department of the Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Tatiana Karaman, Head of the Synthesis and Reporting Department of the Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Moldova, also shared their approaches to the SDGs audit.

It was noted that the Republic of Azerbaijan has 12 strategic roadmaps, a national strategy and national goals. The SAI Azerbaijan conducts performance audits with a focus on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the SAI focuses on forest safety audits.  The strategic plan of the SAI Moldova for 2021-2025 provides holding of an audit of the implementation of the SDGs. In addition, by conducting separate performance audits, the SAI focuses on the implementation of SDG indicators, for example, an employment audit. 

A survey conducted among the participants of the event showed a high interest of CIS SAIs in the SDGs audit. However, only 16% of respondents indicated that their SAIs have such experience. At the same time, 67% of respondents expect to hold such events in the future. The different dynamics of SAIs ' work in this area is due to the fact that the sustainable development agenda has been reflected to varying degrees in the strategic documents and priorities of different States.

To promote the practice of SDGs auditing among CIS SAIs, SAI Russia has adapted the Russian version of  the ISAM.

The meeting materials will form the basis of an educational course on SDGs audit, which will be published on the INTOSAI Digital University platform.

In the future, it is planned to hold similar meetings as the SAIs of the region move from the practice of auditing the preparedness of public administration systems for the implementation of the SDGs to the stage of auditing the implementation of specific Sustainable Development Goals.