The Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) is an international, autonomous, independent, apolitical and permanent organization that traces its origins to the First Latin American Congress of Audit Institutions (CLADEFS), held in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1963, given the need for a superior forum to exchange ideas and experiences related to government oversight and control, as well as to the promotion of cooperation and development relations between these entities.
This Congress recommended the creation of a Latin American Institute of Fiscal Control, which served as specialized research and served as a center for information, education, coordination and mutual advice between audit institutions.
OLACEFS is currently one of the seven regional working groups of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI)
Origins: Latin American Institute of Supervisory Sciences (ILACIF)
Among the conclusions of the First Latin American Congress of Audit Institutions in 1963, it was pointed out that “the exchange of experiences in financial administration and fiscal control was of mutual convenience for Latin American countries.
The objective should be to improve the management of government through the adoption of principles and objectives of integration and regional unity within the sphere of their specific activities, to better serve the communities.”
Likewise, and convinced of the importance that the creation of a Latin American Institute of Fiscal Control has for the countries of Latin America and especially for their respective supervisory bodies and in order for this idea to materialize shortly, the participants designated to the Chilean delegation to carry out the steps leading to that purpose.
In compliance with that mission, the Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile presented a draft charter, complemented by a study prepared by the Comptroller General of the Republic of Venezuela, before the Second Latin American Congress of Audit Institutions, held on April 9 of 1965, in Santiago, Chile.
In this context, the Supreme Audit Institutions gathered agreed to the creation and approved the charter of the Latin American Institute of Audit Sciences.
The objective after the creation of the Institute was to promote specialized scientific research tasks, gather information and provide advice and coordination among the audit agencies of the continent, in order to better serve its citizens in the exercise of the powers recognized by the respective Legal regulations.
Were signatory countries of the creation of ILACIF: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. Subsequently adhered: Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Antilles and Suriname. In said Congress, the Venezuelan Comptroller General was appointed headquarters of the Institute.
New institutionalism: Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS)
Based on the changes recommended by a committee that reformed internal norms and its organizational structure, during the extraordinary session of October 11, 1990, the ILACIF Extraordinary General Assembly, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, approved the proposed changes as the name change of the Institute by the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS).
The term Organization was considered more appropriate for an entity that brings together the highest level officials in control and control of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Currently, OLACEFS fulfills functions of specialized scientific research and develops tasks of study, training, specialization, advice and technical assistance, information and coordination at the service of the Supreme Audit Institutions, SAIs, of Latin America and the Caribbean, all with the purpose to promote its development and improvement.
Principles:
In accordance with the provisions of its Charter, the Latin American and Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions is inspired by the following principles:
I. Legal equality of the member entities of the Organization, according to their categories;
II. Respect for the legal systems of each nation and the postulates of International Law, considering the independence and sovereignty of each country to take their own decisions concerning the control and control system of the management of public resources;
III. Free entry and withdrawal of its members;
IV. Compliance with the democratic system of adoption of agreements by majority and respect for the concept of minorities;
V. Decentralization of activities;
VI. Close and permanent collaboration of the Organization and its members;
VII. Spirit of public service and proscription of political interference of any nature;
VIII. Transparency;
IX. Rotation of all Full Members by the OLACEFS bodies.
Attributions:
The Constitutive Charter of OLACEFS recognizes the following attributions to the Organization:
• Promote and carry out systematic research studies on control and supervision of the management of public resources and disseminate their results among its members;
• To guide, organize and carry out training, specialization and postgraduate courses, as well as seminars and special events, mainly for the staff of the members of the Organization that fulfill technical tasks of control and supervision;
• Promote the provision of advisory services and technical assistance to its members in matters of control and control of the management of public resources;
• Collect the work done in each country, referring to administrative and financial organization and control, to disseminate them in the Latin American and Caribbean nations;
• Promote and edit publications related to the control and control of the management of public resources;
• Serve as a liaison body between the supreme audit institutions of other nations attending consultations and encouraging the exchange of specialists;
• To establish and increase a documentation center consisting basically of bibliography related to the control and control of the management of public resources and related disciplines;
• Maintain scientific and technical contact with institutions and organizations in other regions of the world, specialized in control and supervision of the management of public resources;
• Create Commissions and Committees, by sub regions, functional areas, specific issues and / or topics, as appropriate;
• Establish relationships with experts in control and supervision of the management of public resources, as well as with university, development financing and professional association organizations to obtain their competition;
• Coordinate the conduct of special studies that are requested by the government of a nation or a group of governments of Latin American and Caribbean nations;
• Organize and conduct high-level reflection forums of active members for the analysis of specific strategic issues related to superior control and supervision;
• Grant prizes and / or incentives in the manner and conditions determined by the specific regulations.
Financing:
The revenues that finance the operation of the Organization come from the annual fees paid by the different members, contributions from other international institutions and organizations such as GIZ, the IDB, the World Bank or the INTOSAI Development Initiative, income from services provided by OLACEFS, in addition to those from loans and donations.
Structure:
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is a collegial body composed of five full members. It is headed by the Presidency and has the participation of the Executive Secretariat that acts as its secretariat, with the right to speak.
Presidency:
In accordance with the provisions of the Charter, the Presidency of OLACEFS is exercised by the Full Member, represented by its holder, elected by the General Assembly for a period of three years, without re-election. The functions and powers of this body are defined in the OLACEFS Regulations.
On January 23, 2019, the Transfer Act of the OLACEFS Presidency was held for the period 2019-2021 by the Superior Audit of the Federation of Mexico to the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru headed by the Econ. Nelson Eduardo Shack Yalta.
Econ. Nelson Eduardo Shack Yalta
President of OLACEFS
Control General of the Republic of Peru
Executive Secretariat and Headquarters of the Organization
According to the provisions of the organizational regulations, the Executive Secretariat is directed by a Full Member elected by the General Assembly. It is in charge of an Executive Secretary, who is the holder of said Full Member. Its functions are exercised for a period of six years, extendable for an additional three years.
This body is responsible for providing support to the various OLACEFS structures (Assembly, Board of Directors, Presidency, Committees, Commissions and Working Groups), as well as technical-administrative support for the execution of their activities.
Members of the Organization:
I. The members of the Organization are grouped into two categories: I. Full Members, corresponding to the Supreme Audit Institutions of the countries of Latin America
and the Caribbean; and,
II. Associate Members, corresponding to the Supervisory Entities of sub-national, state or local order, to Supreme Audit Institutions of other regions and to the legal
entities of public international law that contribute with their technical or financial support to the organizational development.
The General Assembly: It is the supreme organ of the Organization, composed of all OLACEFS members. It is up to this body to adopt the decisions regarding the strategic direction and orientation of the Organization. His last celebration was in 2019.
The XXIX OLACEFS Assembly
The XXIX Ordinary General Assembly of OLACEFS aimed to strengthen the progress of public oversight and fight against corruption, exchange knowledge and experiences on matters of common interest and consolidate existing cooperation ties. A broad agenda of aspects of interest of the 22 member countries of the Organization expressed in some of the Agenda items was discussed:
• Strategic Plan 2017-2022 / Tactical Plan 2020-2022;
• Operational Planning Process for the year 2020;
• International Agreements to be signed by OLACEFS; Preparations for the XXX Ordinary General Assembly of 2020, Colombia (2020);
• Determination of Technical Issues for the XXX Ordinary General Assembly of 2020, Colombia; Report on the implementation of the OLACEFS-GIZ Memorandum of Understanding in environmental matters;
• Status report on cooperation programs IDl-OLACEFS;
• Activity report 2019 rendered by the Presidency;
• Activity report 2019 rendered by the Executive Secretariat; Main activities developed during 2019: Monitoring of the Management and reports of activities 2019 of the CCC, COMTEMA, CAJ, CTPBG, CTIC, CPC, CEDEIR, GTOP, GTCT and GTFD.
The technical issues that were developed during the General Assembly were:
• the application and legal validity of electronic signatures and electronic documents in the audit process; and
• the improvement of institutional integrity management, relevance in SAIs and in the public sector.
The technical issues that will be developed during the XXX General Assembly, which will be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from October 26 to 30, 2020:
• Preventive control: towards a timely and effective approach of SAIs to possible irregularities in public management, proposed by the SAI of Costa Rica. On this issue, the subcomponents on new technologies should be addressed; and,
• Human rights, a challenge for the supreme audit institutions, proposed by the SAI of Paraguay within the framework of the Working Group specialized in the fight against Transnational Corruption. On this issue, the subcomponents on indigenism must be addressed.
The Olacefs Assembly also discussed the impact of exponential growth in the use of the internet in the control mechanisms, forced to be updated to be in tune with the technological challenges of the moment. The current context imposes not only the review of the use of resources and the assets of public servants, but also a rethinking of laws, policies and programs undermined by expendable formalities that cost time and resources.
Declaration of San Salvador adopted at the XXIX OLACEFS Assembly