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Meeting of the Heads of Supreme Audit Institutions of OECD Member States

On 27 and 28 May 2026 at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, there was a meeting of heads of supreme audit institutions of OECD member states which was attended by the President of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia Jana Ahčin.

Representatives of several countries are seated around a conference table at an OECD meeting. In the foreground is the Slovenian delegation, identified by the nameplate “Slovenie.” Among the participants is the President of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia, who is attentively following the discussion. Laptops and working documents are placed in front of the delegates, while the conference room’s distinctive wood-paneled wall forms the background.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to Forum on Restoring Public Finances and brought together not only supreme audit institutions but also ministries of finance, parliaments, independent fiscal institutions to discuss solutions to today’s acute fiscal challenges. The Forum unveiled the Report "Strengthening the Independence of Supreme Audit Institutions: Looking at Informal Factors Beyond Legal Safeguards" from the joint INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and OECD Global Project on SAI Independence, supported by SECO, the IMF, and the World Bank.

The report highlighted the key role of the SAIs in auditing how public funds are managed and assessing public sector performance, providing that governments are held accountable and maintaining citizen trust. As countries face growing fiscal pressures, complex policy challenges and declining levels of trust, it is essential that SAIs operate independently and effectively.

The second day of the annual meeting of the heads of the SAIs was dedicated to the role of the performance auditing. A special attention was paid to strategies for achieving the impacts of performance audits that represent one of the key pillars of most supreme audit institutions’ operations.

A large international meeting is taking place in the main conference hall at the OECD headquarters in Paris. Several dozen participants are seated around a large rectangular conference table surrounding a central area with a presentation screen. Delegates have laptops, documents, and country nameplates in front of them. A presentation is projected on the front wall, while participants attentively follow the discussion. The modern conference room, with its wood-paneled walls and bright lighting, creates a formal and professional atmosphere for the international gathering.

The meeting also focused on balancing prudence and innovation in the public sector. It was pointed out that public sector is faced with greater demands and expectations to be more agile and to response quicker, but thus becomes less risk-averse.

The discussions also addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on audit work. Furthermore, the use of artificial intelligence in auditing was examined and also how the institutions introduce AI in their everyday work in order to improve quality and efficiency of their procedures.

In the conclusion of the event the participants considered impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on public finance. Namely, findings of the OECD and the analytical tool for calculating fiscal impacts of climate change were presented. During the meeting, the supreme audit institutions shared their experiences and perspectives.

A group photo of the Heads of Supreme Audit Institutions of OECD member countries, taken on a staircase at OECD headquarters. The participants, dressed in business attire, are arranged in several rows and pose for an official group photograph. An information board for the OECD Public Finance Recovery Forum stands beside the staircase. The photograph reflects international cooperation and the exchange of experience among the leaders of national supreme audit institutions.

Link:
Report "Strengthening the Independence of Supreme Audit Institutions: Looking at Informal Factors Beyond Legal Safeguards"

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