On June 29, 2021, the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation held a joint seminar with representatives of the Tribunal de Contas da Uniao of Brazil. Parties discussed issues of ecology, climate and rational use of forest resources.

The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation was represented by Sergey Neroev, Director of the Department of Environmental Management and Agricultural Sector Audit, and Elena Ozerova, Head of the Water, Forestry and Technological Safety Audit Inspection. Anastasia Shemyakina, Auditor of the Trans-Baikal Territory Regional Institution, also made a report. Timur Makhmutov, Director of the Department for International and Regional Cooperation, moderated the meeting.

Opening the seminar Sergey Neroev emphasized the annual audit of the federal budget in terms of forestry expenditures, amounting to about 60 billion rubles, and income from the forests use.

“The priority issues within the audit are the planning efficiency appraisal and public resources provision and use feasibility. Over the past 5 years, 18 audits have been conducted. The results have become recommendations and proposals to the state bodies with subsequent follow-up of its development,”

commented Sergey Neroev.

Elena Ozerova considered in detail the implementation of the Use of Forest Resources in the Russian Federation project. The key goal is to study and to evaluate the forest resources management efficiency, in particular, the fight against illegal logging and wood trafficking in Russia.

“The project consisted of two stages. At the first stage, the challenging areas were analyzed and remedial proposals were developed. At the second stage, the suggested solutions for the forest policy improving were promoted in the liaison of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation with the Government of the Russian Federation and the authorities of various levels,”

stated Elena Ozerova.

Anastasia Shemyakina shared the regional practice on forest management audit.

“Over the past five years, the Trans-Baikal Territory Regional Institution has conducted two large-scale expert and analytical events on the use of the forest resources efficiency, as well as the two particular audits for the technical provision of the Trans-Baikal Territory with forest fire equipment and compliance with the methodology for calculating costs of ensuring the implementation of measures for the protection and reproduction of forests,”

– commented Anastasia Shemyakina.

The Trans-Baikal Territory Regional Institution constantly monitors regional strategic documents in the field of rational use of forest resources. Also, special attention is paid to the monitoring of the proposals implementation prepared on the results of control activities.

Tribunal de Contas da Uniao of Brazil was presented by Dashiell Velasque da Costa, the Federal State Auditor. The report Coordinated Audit on Protected Areas considered the Brazil experience in the protection of the environment and the use of forests. According to Dashiell Velasque da Costa audit is a key element in the biodiversity strategy maintenance in the regions. Its primary purpose is to appraise the level of operation and subsequent management of protected areas, and the contribution of such areas to the international goals achievement.

During the seminar, the participants discussed the features of a risk-oriented approach to planning and conducting the forest management audit; digitalization of the audit processes; issues that are in the focus of the SAIs work in this area; contribution to the forest management system improvement.

The seminar was attended by representatives of Regional Audit Institutions of the Russian Federation and Brazil.