Auditor General Strengthens Oversight Through Regional Training Partnership

The Office of the Auditor General is strengthening its ability to assess the performance and accountability of Belize’s public institutions.  From July 13 to 17, the Supreme Audit Institution of Jamaica partnered with its Belizean counterpart to conduct a series of specialized training and peer-review sessions. The initiative focused on developing draft working papers based on International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions, commonly known as ISSAIs.  The sessions were led by SAI Jamaica Principal Auditor Rochelle Bailey-Thomas and Director of Audit Shamar Richards. A Supervisor of Audit and several Examiners of Accounts from Belize participated in the programme.  The collaboration is expected to improve the quality and consistency of performance audits in Belize, while helping the Office of the Auditor General more effectively evaluate how public resources are managed and whether government programmes are delivering their intended results.  Officials say the capacity-building initiative will ultimately support greater accountability, transparency and efficiency across Belize’s public sector.