The State Audit Office, in cooperation with the SIGMA program, is hosting a two-day international workshop on ‘Environmental Auditing and the Audit of the Sustainable Development Goals’, held on 8–9 April 2026 in Skopje.
The event brings together representatives of supreme audit institutions from the region and beyond, as well as experts from SIGMA, UNDP, and the European Court of Auditors, to exchange experiences and advance audit approaches in addressing the challenges of climate change.
At the workshop, participants are discussing modern approaches to environmental auditing and the role of auditing in assessing public policies related to climate change. Emphasis is placed on the impact of climate risks on public finances, and on the need for greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of environmental policies.
Through presentations and panel discussions, the workshop enables the exchange of practical experiences and audit practices from several countries in the region and across Europe, in areas such as flood management, energy efficiency, biodiversity, and climate change adaptation. The workshop is designed as an interactive platform that encourages open discussion and advancement of methodological approaches in environmental auditing.
In this regard, good practices based on the analysis of international audit experiences are being considered, as well as new standards for climate change reporting in the public sector, including IPSASB SRS 1, which is a significant step towards improving the quality and transparency of both financial and non-financial reporting.
In his address, the Auditor General, Mr. Maksim Acevski, emphasized that climate change poses a serious systemic risk requiring a timely and coordinated institutional response.
“Climate change is no longer a matter of the future, but a reality that directly affects economic stability and the citizens’ well-being. The role of supreme audit institutions is to provide an independent and objective assessment of institutional readiness to address these challenges.”
“Through performance and compliance audits, we contribute to the improvement of public policies and the strengthening of accountability. The State Audit Office is already taking concrete steps in this direction, including the implementation of a climate scanner as a tool for assessing institutional readiness,” the Auditor General noted.
The workshop represents an important step towards strengthening auditors’ capacities and deepening regional and international cooperation, with the aim of enhancing environmental auditing as a key component in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of the workshop, the Auditor General held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Turkish Court of Accounts, Mr. Metin Yener, and his delegation, during which a shared commitment was reaffirmed, aiming to strengthen cooperation through the exchange of audit practices, the enhancement of professional capacities, and the initiation of future joint activities.
