Malé, 30 April 2025: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Maldives and the Auditor General’s Office (AGO) of the Maldives signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today, marking a significant step in strengthening institutional accountability in public spending and advancing the country’s environmental audit capabilities.

As the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of the Maldives, AGO plays a critical role in ensuring transparency in the use of public resources. Beyond financial audits, AGO is increasingly contributing to global efforts on environmental governance through specialized thematic audits that support access to climate finance and Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action. The institution recently established a dedicated environmental audit department and currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions’ Working Group on Environmental Auditing (INTOSAI WGEA).

Through this MoU, UNDP and AGO will collaborate across four key areas:

· Enhancing AGO’s environmental audit expertise through targeted assessments and technical support;

· Supporting AGO’s global leadership role in INTOSAI WGEA;

· Developing budget tagging frameworks to better track public expenditure aligned with the SDGs, particularly on climate-related initiatives; and

· Facilitating capacity development for AGO staff on international environmental commitments and transparent climate finance governance.