The Commission on Audit (CoA) shared its experience on the audit of Gender and Development Funds (GAD) with a high-level delegation from the Royal Government of Cambodia as part of an extensive study visit focused on gender responsive budgeting (GRB) and women’s rights initiatives leadership on October 8, 2024 at the CoA Central Office in Quezon City.
The study visit was organized by the United Nations Development Program with the aim of building the capacity of Cambodian policymakers and technical practitioners in promoting gender-responsive budgeting and women’s leadership. The study visit provided valuable insights into the Philippines’ national experience in implementing GRB, which has become an important tool for promoting gender equality through public finance.
CoA Chairman Gamaliel A. Cordoba welcomed approximately 32 delegates from Cambodia led by Her Excellency Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of the Ministry of Women Affairs of Cambodia.
Chairman Cordoba noted that the visit marks an important step toward strengthening regional partnerships aimed at promoting gender equality and inclusive governance across the Asian region. He underlined the importance of the discussions in providing practical insights that could benefit GRB initiatives in Cambodia. “Your site visits to various government agencies demonstrate how GRB is applied in the Philippine context and provide valuable examples of best practices.”
For her part, Secretary Phavi thanked the CoA for the opportunity to understand key aspects of GRB implementation in the Philippines, including capacity development requirements, gender auditing, and GRB tools for sectoral use.
Responders from the Commission’s Gender and Development Focal Point System Technical Working Group, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Fortunata M. Rubico, discussed how the CoA monitors gender-responsive budgets to ensure accountability in gender budgeting. The CoA is known in the international audit community as a pioneer in the audit of GAD funds and has continuously improved the conduct of audits by prescribing and updating audit guidelines and supporting both capacity and capacity building of its staff in to promote audit of GAD.
In addition to the CoA, the Cambodian delegation also visited the Philippine Commission on Women, the Ministry of Budget and Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government.
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