All Hands on Deck: Harnessing Accountability Through External Public Audits

Confronting the health effects and the economic upheaval of COVID-19 has required massive money flows as well as rushed and unprecedented decisions on government spending. Dozens of countries have created special crisis funds to mobilize donations for their emergency response. In some cases, these are managed through trusts or other arrangements that bypass parliamentary budget oversight and regular financial management controls. This poses a high risk of mismanagement or corruption. In short order, the response to the crisis needs strong oversight and accountability by independent institutions. At this time, there are enormous expectations that national audit systems will protect the public interest, and ensure governments are on track to maintain broader development and performance objectives.