Take a peek at the international conferences on audit's subjects and complaints handling initiated and hosted by the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman in recent years.
The 12th EUROSAI Congress (May 27th-28th, 2024)
The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman hosted (May 27th-28th, 2024) the 12th congress of the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI). The Congress was held online, under the title - Sharing Minds - Greater SAI's. The highlight of the Congress that was held with the participation of state comptrollers and representatives from 49 states and organizations which are members of the European organization, was the appointment of the Israeli State Comptroller and Ombudsman as the president of EUROSAI until 2027. Matanyahu Englman became the first Israeli State Comptroller to serve as the president of EUROSAI - and the only senior Israeli official at the head of an official European body in 2024. During the congress, the participants approved the strategic plan for 2024-2030 presented by the new president; elected the next president (the Slovakian State Comptroller) and the members of the organization's board of directors; discussed the impact of AI on audits (in a panel that included a state comptroller generated by AI) and approved the "Jerusalem Declaration" for enhanced collaboration between audit institutions. Watch the summary video of the congress
Watch the panel on the impact of AI on state audit in 2030
Focus on the golden years: an international conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Public Complaints Commission (December 1st, 2021).
The Public Complaints Commission of the office of the State Comptroller hosted (December 1st, 2021) an online international conference marking its 50th anniversary. The conference's theme was the Golden Years. Ombudsmen from more than 50 states, including Britain, U.S.A, Thailand, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, etc. attended the conference. Throughout the year of jubilee, the Public Complaints Commission of the Office of the State Comptroller focused on increasing the elderly's awareness to the possibility of filing complaints against public bodies; studying the challenges faced by the elderly and adjusting the techniques that can be used to clarify the special needs of people aged 65 and above. In 2020, 16.1% of the complaints received at the Commission were filed by the elderly, although they constitute 12% of the population. Most of the complaints were related to public services, pension, housing, finance, health-care and taxes. Amongst other things, a 46% increase in the number of complaints against the National Insurance was reported. The President of the State of Israel - Mr. Isaac Herzog, former Speaker of the Knesset - MK Mickey Levy, the State Comptroller and Ombudsman - Matanyahu Englman and the director of the Public Complaints Commission - Dr. Adv. Esther Ben-Haim participated in the conference. The State Comptroller and Ombudsman Englman stated that the elderly, in particular, suffered harm from the COVID-19 Pandemic and emphasized the importance of making the Commission accessible to them in order to help them exercise their rights and deal with governing bodies. The Director of the Commission, Dr. Ben-Haim, presented the special report of the Ombudsman on "Challenges and Objectives related to Providing Services to the Elderly - Lessons learnt from the Review of Complaints", and amongst other things, presented findings based on an analysis of discourse of the elderly in social networks and findings based on the answers of ombudsman institutions around the world to a questionnaire distributed by the Commission with regards to dealing with complaints filed by the elderly. Dr. Kira Radinski, who gave a guest lecture at the conference, presented tools to predict the future in a world in which people will live longer. The lecture was followed by a panel with the participation of ombudsmen, commissioners for human rights and representatives of the academia in Israel and abroad.
The Ombudsmen Conference on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Citizens of the World (November 24th, 2020) The Public Complaints Commission of the office of the State Comptroller held (November 24th, 2020) an international conference on the impact of COVID-19. The conference revealed the weaknesses of the systems in the various states following the COVID-19 crisis, starting from the treatment of needy populations and people with disabilities and ending with the rise in domestic violence and sexual assaults cases. The State Comptroller and Ombudsman - Matanyahu Englman, the President of the International Ombudsman Organization - Peter Tyndall, Director of the Public Complaints Commission - Dr. Adv. Esther Ben-Haim and presidents of ombudsman institutions from about 50 states participated in the conference and discussed the various difficulties as well as health-care, social and economic issues during the crisis. The State Comptroller and Ombudsman Englman emphasized the importance of the special report on "Handling Complaints during the First Wave of COVID-19 Crisis", published in September 2020 with regards to the various techniques used by the Public Complaints Commission to assist those who contact it during the COVID-19 Crisis. Dr. Ben-Haim reviewed the main points in the special COVID-19 report and indicated, inter alia, that most of the complaints dealt with the social safety net for those who suffered harm as a result of the pandemic. Conference attendants from all over the world shared the knowledge and experience they have gained when handling the complaints with their colleagues and learnt how different ombudsman institutions have dealt with the challenges posed by the pandemic. The purpose of the conference was to help ombudsmen around the world to plan their actions in accordance with the changing reality and to deal better with the issues brought up by the public. Amongst the examples given by the ombudsmen who participated in the conference; in Taiwan a rise in the rate of domestic violence was reported, in Zambia it was found that the media was the key that guaranteed provision of services to the general public, in New Zealand specific manuals that explain how to deal with the pandemic were distributed to public bodies, in Slovenia a website that listed the actions taken following the outbreak of COVID-19 was launched and in Canada prisoners were able to contact the ombudsman more easily.
The Third Joint International Conference of the European and Asian Organizations of Supreme Audit Institutions - EUROSAI-ASOSAI (March 11th-12th, 2019)
The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman hosted (March 11th-12th, 2019) the EUROSAI-ASOSAI International Conference in Jerusalem with the participation of representatives from 42 states. Holding the conference in Israel was a sign of the recognition given to the status of the Israeli Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman by audit institutions around the world. The conference focused on urgent global issues such as the aging of population, immigration, climate changes and cyber and included discussions on audit methodologies in emergencies such as terror attacks and natural disasters.
The conference was attended by about 130 representatives, including 21 heads of delegations of state comptrollers from many countries: Ukraine, Estonia, Bosnia, Georgia, South Korea, India, Hungary, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, North Macedonia, Nepal, Poland, Portugal, Philippines, Finland, Spain, Serbia, Czeck Republic, Romania, etc.
The conference included a festive reception and various events and tours around Israel. The discussions were broadcast live on the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman's YouTube channel.
International Seminar on Cyber Security (April 2nd-5th, 2017)
The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman held (April 2nd-5th, 2017) an international seminar under the title "Cyber Security: National Threats & State Audit". State comptrollers and additional senior officials from state audit institutions from 14 states, including U.S.A, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Sweden, etc. attended the seminar. The seminar was designated to raise awareness to the issue of dealing with cyber threats as a main subject for an audit for all offices of state comptrollers and to position the Israeli Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman as the office leading this field in the world of international audit. Seminar discussions and work groups were held in Kiryat HaLeom in Jerusalem and included a thorough analysis of new cyber threats and the different ways of coping with them. The event is considered unique in light of the topics of discussions and the mix of senior officials who attended it. Conference YES 2.0 for young leaders of state audit institutions in Europe (November 10th-12th, 2015)
The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman hosted the second YES 2.0 conference of young leaders of the EUROSAI in Jerusalem. The conference, held on November 10th-12th, 2015, focused on the relationship between state audit institutions and individuals (SAI&I). 80 guests from 40 states and organizations attended the conference and discussed the different ways in which state audit institutions affect citizens' lives and rights.
The conference included panels, work groups' discussions and joint professional activities with the aim of forming a professional and social community of young employees in the field of state audit. The young leaders discussed the power of an audit institution to affect individuals' rights and quality of life, the relationship between employees of the audit institutions and employees of the audited bodies as well as the relationship between the audit institution as an organization and its employees. |