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Author: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
Palau Koror – More than 500 attendees gathered in Palau for the 35th Annual Pacific Islands Public Auditors Association (APIPA) Conference from August 26 to 30. Attendees from the Pacific region including Palau, Marshall Islands, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae, Yap, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Samoa, Fiji and the United States came together to discuss key issues in public auditing and finance.
The event was one of Palau’s largest regional gatherings since the Our Ocean Conference in 2022. Chairman Surangel Whipps Jr. attributed the success of hosting such a major event to the new island routes provided by Air Nauru, which connect Palau to the rest of Micronesia and the wider Pacific region.
“We welcome this form of tourism and hope to see more of it,” President Whipps said at a news conference.
The conference theme, “Bridging the Public Accountability and Transparency Gap,” highlighted the Pacific nations’ shared commitment to strengthening accountability and transparency in public finances. “These objectives are critical to the integrity and efficiency of governments in the Pacific,” said Palau Acting Public Auditor Saturnino Tweed.
In his opening remarks, President Whipps stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in government spending. “The money we use in government is the people’s money and we must do our best to serve the people,” he said.
The conference is rich in content and covers topics such as auditing, grants management, government accounting and investigations. Eleven instructors will lead the course and provide live and face-to-face training.
The event, held at the National Stadium, kicked off with an opening ceremony and will be followed by a welcome reception, training sessions, group luncheons and farewell events over the next few days.
APIPA was founded in 1988 by the heads of audit agencies from Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the Marshall Islands. It is funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and serves as a platform for audit and finance courses and training.
This year, Palau’s Acting Public Auditor, Saturnino Tewid, chaired the meeting. It is worth noting that the Office of the Palau Public Auditor is one of the most independent offices in the world and was established under Article XII, Section 2 of the Constitution. The Public Auditor is appointed by the President, who must be approved by both houses of Congress, for a term of six years. The position can only be terminated by a two-thirds vote of both houses in the Olbiil Era Kelulau. In the event of a vacancy, the Chief Justice will appoint an Acting Public Auditor until a new Auditor is appointed and confirmed. Auditor Tewid’s term expired in 2019 and he was reappointed as Acting Public Auditor by the late Chief Justice Arthur Ngiraklsong.
The APIPA conference is one of three regional conferences held in Palau this month, the others being the PIPG meeting and the APIL congress.
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