On March 6, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) chaired the 82nd meeting of the Governing Board of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS), held in Asunción, Paraguay. The event marks a moment of transition, with the TCU formally assuming leadership of the organization for the 2026–2028 term.

The session was opened by the Comptroller General of Paraguay and host of the meeting, Camilo Benítez Aldana, followed by remarks from the organization’s Executive Secretariat, held by the Office of the Auditor General of Mexico and represented by Eber Omar Betanzos Torres, appointed by Mexico’s Auditor General, David Colmenares Páramo. The opening session concluded with remarks by Minister Vital do Rêgo, President of the TCU and chair of OLACEFS, who underscored the commitment to technical integration in the region.

Strategic Planning and Operational Plans (POAs)

One of the central points of the meeting was the presentation of the 2026 activity plan, consolidated in the Annual Operational Plans (POAs) of all OLACEFS bodies. The POAs of the Presidency and the Executive Secretariat were presented first, followed by those of the Legal Advisory Committee (CAJ) and the Special Technical Commission for the Environment (COMTEMA), chaired by Paraguay’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI). Next were the plans of the Capacity Building Committee (CCC) and the Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions of South American Countries (EFSUR), led by SAI Chile; the Technical Commission on Good Governance Practices (CTPBG), coordinated by SAI Ecuador; and the Commission on Performance Evaluation and Performance Indicators (CEDEIR) and the Commission on Gender, Inclusion, and Diversity (CGID), under the responsibility of SAI Argentina. Details were also provided on the activities of the Citizen Participation Commission (CPC) and the Infrastructure and Energy Transitions Commission (COINFRA), headed by the TCU (SAI Brazil); the Technical Commission on Combating Transnational Corruption (CTCT) and the Commission on Parliaments and Supreme Audit Institutions (CPE), under the leadership of SAI Peru; and the Commission on Information Technologies and Communication (CTIC) and the Working Group on Disaster Management Auditing within the Framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (GTFD), led by SAI Mexico; and, finally, the Central American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OCCEFS), headed by SAI Panama.

Technical Issues and Innovation

The Board also addressed technical topics related to the 35th Ordinary General Assembly of OLACEFS, scheduled for August 2026 in Cali, Colombia, with a focus on the audit of unfinished projects. The TCU is a leading institution in this area through its “Panel on Stalled Projects,” a tool that uses data analysis to prevent white elephants and losses in public infrastructure. Another priority topic is sustainable infrastructure, which aligns with the central themes of the TCU’s candidacy for the OLACEFS presidency. The meeting also advanced preparations for the 35th Ordinary General Assembly of OLACEFS.

Global Outreach

Furthermore, the TCU expressed its support for the theme proposed by the Portuguese Court of Auditors for the upcoming Joint EUROSAI–OLACEFS Conference, “Key Trends in Citizen Participation and the Engagement of Civil Society Organizations in the Work of Supreme Audit Institutions,” reinforcing Brazil’s contribution to strengthening this agenda at the international level.

During the meeting, and in preparation for future institutional decisions, the Executive Secretariat, with the approval of the Presidency, initiated preliminary consultations with members of the Governing Board to gauge interest in hosting the 36th Ordinary General Assembly of OLACEFS, scheduled for 2027.

It was reaffirmed that the selection process for the future host will be communicated to all members of the organization at a later date. This approach aims to ensure that, by the time of the Administrative Session of the next Assembly, a formal candidate is already in place, guaranteeing a transparent and participatory process for all member countries.

OLACEFS

OLACEFS brings together supreme audit institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean and serves as a forum for technical cooperation aimed at strengthening government auditing and good public governance.

Since 2026, the organization has been chaired by Brazil, through the TCU, while the Executive Secretariat remains under the responsibility of the Office of the Auditor General of Mexico.