Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, it is one of the essential foundations for building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Audit Institutions can indeed influence the path toward equality.
The General Audit Office of the Argentine Nation (AGN) has succeeded in performing different initiatives that contribute to equality between women and men. This commitment is aligned with the OLACEFS Gender and Non-Discrimination Policy, through which actions for equality within SAIs are fostered and the gender dimension is endorsed in audit work.
The Gender Approach in the Latin American Region: Experiences in the Field of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the Countries of South America (EFSUR)
The pandemic increased the number of people living in poverty, and unfortunately women suffered the worst consequences that as a result give raise to a crisis of care, employment and an increase in violence. In this context, the AGN leads a special review on the impact of the pandemic on poverty levels and gender inequalities in Latin American countries.
This special audit carried by 15 Audit Institutions in the region analyzed public policies aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on poverty levels and gender gaps. National reports will be presented during May and June, and a workshop will be held to consolidate SAIs information into a single regional report.
As background of this important international audit, a special review was conducted in 2020 to assess the effectiveness of governments in preparing for the implementation of SDG 1 with a gender perspective. The AGN coordinated the regional report in which the SAIs of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States participated. Peru, and the Comptroller of Bogota also joined.
The main recommendation was that States review and design plans, programs and actions taking into account the phenomenon of the feminization of poverty and incorporate the gender perspective from planning to evaluation. In addition, states were suggested to implement citizen participation mechanisms, improve measurement tools, and develop gender-specific indicators. The General Audit of the Argentine Nation led as SAI coordinator both audits.
GENDER.A: A tool to audit with a gender perspective
The audit work that addressed gender equality highlighted the need to organize the different methodologies that incorporate gender approach. Based on this, a team of women officers from the General Audit Office of the Argentine Nation designed a tool to audit with a gender perspective called GENDER.A. This tool will allow a comprehensive diagnosis and provide a regional outlook that can guide the audit work of our SAIs.
This initiative was presented at the AGN to initiate the implementation process and will be part of the activities of the EFSUR organization during the second semester of 2023.
By incorporating the gender dimension into audit work, SAIs can help governments ensure effective and efficient responses to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.