Summary of publication

Australia has supported the activities of the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI), the umbrella organisation for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the Pacific, since 2009. Current DFAT funding to PASAI is $4.4 million over five years (2014-2019) and aligns with PASAI's 10-year strategic plan (2014-24). DFAT funding supports Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the Pacific to work in partnership with their governments, legislatures and development partners to improve the timeliness and quality of audits, follow-up on audit recommendations, strengthened financial oversight, and the scrutiny role of public accounts committees.

An independent mid-term review of the strategy was commissioned in 2018 to inform its future direction. The review focused on the project's performance relating to relevance, effectiveness, sustainability, gender and disability inclusiveness, and monitoring and evaluation. The reviewer has endorsed the general success of PASAI in tracking towards the long-term outcome goals of the 2014-24 Strategy. However, funding is needed to better resource the Secretariat to do more to achieve the outcome goals including:

• more effective monitoring and evaluation
• more sharing of lessons learned
• run more programmes with a closer tie to the individual needs of the SAIs, and
• provide relevant capacity development materials for SAIs to use themselves.

The review identified some areas where the Strategic Plan could be reassessed to reduce the risk of it having over-ambitious outcome goals. Also, PASAI to decrease its role as a "program implementer and training organisation" to strengthen its role as a "facilitating and learning organisation.

DFAT broadly accepts the findings and recommendations and welcomes the review as a constructive and useful contribution to strengthening our ongoing partnership. The review makes 13 recommendations in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project, some of which have been incorporated into existing work plan and for further DFAT consideration in the next five year strategic priorities.

DFAT will adopt recommendations as specified in its management response with either an immediate timeframe, a more transitional approach and/or into the next phase of its support.

Download full publication

Review Report for Support to Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institution (PASAI) [DOCX 1.47 MB] | [PDF 2.05 MB]

Management Response for Support to Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institution (PASAI) [DOCX 26 KB] | [PDF 102 KB]