Mr.Hou Kai,
Secretary General of ASOSAI and Auditor General of the National Audit Office of the People’s Republic of China
In the hard time of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the joint efforts of the Journal Editor and all ASOSAI members, the 2020 October issue of Asian Journal of Government Audit is made available. Taking this opportunity, I would like to bring to all fellow auditors of ASOSAI with this issue of journal, my warm greetings and best wishes for good health.
In September 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 sustainable development goals and 169 specific targets, setting out a 15-year plan on the development and international development cooperation of all countries in the world. In 2018, the Hanoi Declaration was endorsed by the ASOSAI Assembly, and expressed the consensus among SAIs: to implement SDGs and deal with global environmental challenges. The 55th ASOSAI GB Meeting approved the establishment of the ASOSAI Working Group on SDGs. The ASOSAI Seminar also chose the “audit of implementation of SDGs” as its theme this year. ASOSAI members are now actively carrying out audits of SDG implementation, showcasing SAI’s value and benefits in this endeavor.
“No Poverty” is the first goal of 17 sustainable development goals. Poverty confines human freedom and subdues development. It is the root cause of problems and conflicts in many countries and regions. As COVID-19 triggers a global recession, unemployment is surging across the world. Faced with these difficulties and challenges, we must forge ahead more determined and make poverty eradication front and center. The Alliance for Poverty Eradication recently inaugurated by the UN offers an opportunity to refocus global attention on poverty reduction cooperation, recommit resources to people’s livelihood areas, such as poverty eradication, education, health and infrastructure. We need to share experience to shape targeted and effective poverty reduction policies. Using the master key of development, we could unlock the door toward no poverty.
In the past 5 years, significant progress for no poverty has been made in the Asian region, but with greater challenges to be addressed. ASOSAI SAIs had played an important role in supervising and guaranteeing poverty reduction. The Secretariat of ASOSAI will continue to work with all member SAIs to strengthen cooperation with the supreme audit institutions of various countries in terms of poverty-alleviation related audit, and make joint contributions to global poverty reduction.
With its rapid spread in many parts of the world, COVID-19 has put lives and health of people around the world under grave threat, seriously disrupted the flow of people worldwide and the global economy, and posed a severe challenge to us ASOSAI countries.
COVID-19 may impact our cooperation in various areas, yet such cooperation should not come to a halt. In this regard, with the hope of building a model regional organization, ASOSAI shall more actively play its role as a bridge and a platform to facilitate member SAIs’ information sharing, experience exchanging and capacity building in a number of audit fields including public health and poverty eradication in the trying times of the pandemic. As long as we keep united and forge ahead together, the day will come when all the countries will shake off poverty. Our ASOSAI will shine even brighter in process of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.