Assessing the Relevance of Public Policies and Programs: The Court of Accounts Hosts the Annual Meeting of the INTOSAI Working Group

The Court of Accounts is hosting, on September 15-16, 2026, the annual meeting of the Working Group of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) dedicated to the evaluation of public policies and programs. The event brings together nearly 50 participants, both in-person and remotely, representing 23 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from different continents and members of the said Working Group.

This meeting provided a conducive forum to exchange of experiences and best practices, and to examine approaches and standards adopted in this area. The proceedings focused in particular on identifying relevant evaluation topics and analyzing the alignment of public programs and project objectives with evolving societal needs and priorities. They also shed light on formulating conclusions and recommendations aimed at boosting the added value of evaluations and bolstering their impact on the improvement of public policies.

The work of this meeting centers notably on practical issues related to the evaluation of public programs and projects, including mechanisms for communication and interaction with the Government, Parliament and the various stakeholders. The program also includes the presentation and discussion of case studies submitted by participating SAIs on the evaluation of public projects and programs in the fields of health, social affairs, education and territorial management. It will also share the experiences of the Court of Accounts in the areas of procedural simplification and reduction of territorial disparities, thereby fostering the sharing of methodologies and lessons learned with a view to exploring avenues for their further development.

Ms. Zineb El Adaoui, First President of the Court of Accounts, underscored in her opening address that the Kingdom of Morocco has enshrined, within its constitutional and legal framework, the principles of relevance and impact as fundamental pillars of public performance and essential determinants of the various major projects undertaken by our country under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.

Ms. El Adaoui further noted that the Court has been developing its practices in the areas of performance auditing and the evaluation of public programs and projects, consistent with its mandate within the evaluation ecosystem and in complementarity with the efforts of the various institutional actors involved in internal and external evaluation. In this regard, she underscored that the Court is endeavoring to broaden its evaluation approach to encompass multiple and integrated dimensions, particularly the sociology of public performance in its planning phase, quality management and the bolstering of oversight frameworks, while ensuring the formulation of recommendations pertaining to strategic choices and the monitoring of evaluation outcomes, as well as their uptake and implementation by the various stakeholders.

Ms. Eveline Hügli, Deputy President of the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) and Chair of the Working Group, said that this meeting provides an opportunity to exchange views on the evolving role of SAIs in the evaluation of public policies, particularly when questions are raised as to their relevance, effectiveness and achievement of intended objectives, at a time when the primary focus had previously been on sound implementation and compliance with applicable rules.

Ms. Hügli further explained that this evolution opens the way for a broader discussion on the boundaries and role of SAIs with respect to issuing observations on the relevance of certain public policies, while upholding the requirements of independence and objectivity in the exercise of their audit mandates.

The hosting of this meeting by the Court of Accounts reflects its ongoing commitment to contributing to international cooperation initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacities of Supreme Audit Institutions in the field of the evaluation of public programs and projects.