Excellencies Auditors Generals: 

Ms. Finau Nagera of Fiji, 

Mr. Hussain Niyazy of the Maldives; 

Esteemed officials from Supreme Audit Institutions; 

Ms. Nabila Suria, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to UNESCAP, 

Mr. Mike Scott, Deputy Executive Director, PASAI

Representatives from civil society, and friends. 

I am delighted to welcome you to Bangkok for this Regional Dialogue on “Making a Difference Through Climate Change Audits.”

It is wonderful to see strong participation from Supreme Audit Institutions across Asia and the Pacific. We are also joined by SAIs from other regions including Brazil, the European Court of Auditors, Finland, and the United Kingdom in addition to Egypt and Thailand who are participating in their capacity as the Presidency of The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions  (INTOSAI) and Chair of the Working Group on Environmental Audit respectively. 

There is  a great diversity of experiences represented in this room. But while our national contexts may differ, we are all facing a common enemy in the accelerating climate emergency.

To effectively address the climate crisis, every single dollar invested in climate action counts, and must deliver meaningful results and impact at scale. This is especially true in the context of acutely constrained fiscal space and growing demand on public resources that many countries are grappling with. As such, climate change is increasingly becoming a fiscal governance and accountability issue beyond its environmental ramifications. 

Against this background, accountability matters more than ever. And this is exactly where Supreme Audit Institutions come in. 

Across the region, Ministries of Finance and governments have already taken steps to strengthen climate budgeting, climate finance tracking and public financial management systems. 

Supreme Audit institutions have a key role to play in this regard through enhancing independent oversight and ensuring that these efforts indeed translate into measurable results.

Climate audits in particular can help answer a simple but fundamental question:

Are climate investments yielding the results that governments have promised and delivering strengthened resilience and mitigation?

Across Asia Pacific, we are already seeing encouraging examples. 

In Bangladesh, and the Philippines, SAIs are leading the way. They have undertaken climate-related performance audits that move beyond compliance to examine whether climate investments are achieving intended outcomes. 

In the Maldives, we see similar efforts with the integration of environmental and climate considerations into audits to help strengthen oversight over issues that are central to the country's long-term resilience and sustainable development. 

These examples demonstrate that climate auditing is an emerging area of work and becoming an increasingly important part of effective climate governance. 

We also have inspiring experiences from the UK and some other European countries where SAIs are using audits to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals.

At UNDP, supporting countries in this transition remains a core priority.

Across the globe, we have supported  over 120 countries in the formulation of their NDCs through our flagship Climate Promise initiative. 

In Asia-Pacific, we work closely with governments to strengthen NDC implementation and the realization of the National Adaptation Plans.

Through the Climate Finance Network, we have also been able to support Ministries of Finance in mobilizing and managing climate finance more effectively. (This is complemented by the strong governance portfolio that the UNDP has.)

Today’s dialogue and the launch of the Practice Guide on Climate Change Audits are part of this effort to strengthen climate accountability.

The Guide draws on the practical experiences of more than 60 countries worldwide, including lessons from many SAIs represented here today. It provides practical approaches- whether a SAI is undertaking its first climate performance audit or refining a more mature programme of work. 

Over the next three days, I would like to invite you to openly share your experiences, learn from one another and identify opportunities for future collaboration. The strength of this dialogue lies in bringing together diverse perspectives and practical experiences from across the region and beyond.

Last from but not least, I would a like to acknowledge the leadership of PASAI.  Thank you for  your collaboration on the convening of this dialogue. 

I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom for the more than a decade long support to UNDP in the region in enhancing access and efficiency of climate finance. We look forward to continuing the partnership to support countries in the region through the CFN, funded through the UK Climate Action for Resilient Asia (CARA) Programme. 

I wish you all productive discussions, and look forward to the insights and partnerships that will emerge from this dialogue. Thank you very much.