The Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been again appointed as the chairman of the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations for 2021, according to a statement issued by his office.
The UN panel consists of 13 countries—India, Germany, Chile, China, United Kingdom, France, Philippines, Switzerland, Italy, Ghana, Indonesia, Canada and Russia.
The CAG was elected as chairman of the panel last year as well.
Currently, the CAG is also the external auditor of the World Health Organization, Geneva (2020 - 2023) and Food & Agriculture Organization, Rome (2020 - 2025) and Inter Parliamentary Union (2020-2022).
As the Chairman of UN panel, the CAG of India plays a key role in achieving its objective of greater degree of collaboration and coordination, and exchange of information on audit methods and findings, among the panel members, the statement said on Tuesday.
“CAG leads the panel as a distinctive forum to support the delivery of high quality, standards-based assurance, to ensure that reported financial information provides a transparent and accurate basis for the financial decisions made by the United Nations and its specialised agencies,” it added.
“Like any other organizations, the accounts and management operations of the United Nations, the Specialised Agencies (WHO, FAO, WFP, WIPO, etc.) and the International Atomic Energy Agency are required to be audited and reported on periodically by independent external auditors,” it further said.
The UN General Assembly in 1959 established the Panel of External Auditors, comprising the individual external auditors of the United Nations system, who are also Heads of Supreme Audit Institutions, that is, Comptroller and Auditors General of their respective countries.
The CAG of India has been the external auditor of various international organisations.