International Conferences

State Comptroller Englman Leads OECD Conference with Auditors from 35 countries (January 28–29, 2025)

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman, who serves as President of the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI), led an international conference of state auditors from 35 countries worldwide (January 28–29, 2025).  The conference, which focused on public financial management, was held in Paris under the auspices of the OECD.

In his remarks, Comptroller Englman emphasized the importance of performance auditing and called on state auditors to adopt a "giving voice to the voiceless" approach, focusing on disadvantaged populations: "In Israel, for example, we conduct audits on issues such as placing at-risk children in boarding schools, foster care, and adoption, as well as protecting minors in online spaces. In addition, we are currently leading an international audit on population aging".  

The State Comptroller presented his counterparts with examples of various types of audits conducted by the Israeli State Comptroller’s Office, including: placement of at-risk children in boarding schools, foster care, and adoption (social audit); national preparedness for the drone threat (security audit);  road safety (systemic audit); cybersecurity of medical devices and protection of the data stored in them (cyber audit); preparedness for the outbreak of inflation cost of living audit. 

"I called on my fellow auditors, representatives from 35 countries worldwide, to adopt advanced audit tools in order to enhance our work for the benefit of the public", he concluded. "The key message is: be innovative, be creative, be relevant.  The knowledge we shared here will undoubtedly improve our work".

"The discussions held during the conference underscored the great importance of audit oversight in long-term preparedness for hazardous events and global crises, for the benefit of our nations' citizens".

Comptroller Englman expressed his deep appreciation to OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann for sponsoring the conference and emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between EUROSAI member states and the OECD.  Secretary-General Cormann informed Comptroller Englman that the OECD is expected to publish a significant report on the cost of living in Israel in the near future. 

Representatives of the State Comptroller's Office participated in the 16th ASOSAI Congress (September 21-27, 2024)

Eitan Dahan, Head of the Defense Establishment Audit Division, and Ziad Asad, Director of Division C in the Local Government Audit Department, represented Israel’s State Comptroller and Ombudsman’s Office at the 16th Congress of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI). The congress, held in New Delhi, India, was attended by representatives from 48 countries across the continent.  

At the opening session of the congress, participants viewed a recorded address by Comptroller Matanyahu Englman. In his remarks, he emphasized his commitment to strengthening cooperation between ASOSAI and the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI), which he chairs. Eitan Dahan presented an overview of the activities of the State Comptroller’s Office and EUROSAI to the congress participants.   

The congress discussions covered a range of topics, including inclusion, accessibility, and gender disparities. Ziad Asad presented key findings from the audit report on promoting gender equality in local government, published in July 2024.   
During the congress, Dahan and Asad met with auditors from India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Mongolia, and other countries, and engaged in discussions on strengthening cooperation between audit institutions.

A cooperation agreement was signed between the state audit institutions of Israel and Mexico (July 11, 2024)

State Comptroller and Ombudsman Matanyahu Englman, who serves as President of EUROSAI, signed a cooperation agreement with the Auditor General of Mexico, David Rogelio Colmenares Páramo, who also serves as Secretary of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS). 

The comptrollers signed the agreement at the conclusion of a joint congress held by the two organizations in Mexico City, in the presence of OLACEFS President, Paraguayan Comptroller General Camilo Benítez Aldana. The agreement expresses the comptrollers’ commitment to effective cooperation in state auditing, guided by principles of equality and mutual benefit. This is the second cooperation agreement signed by the Israeli State Comptroller’s Office in Latin America, in addition to the agreement signed by Comptroller Englman in November 2022 with Brazilian Comptroller Bruno Dantas, who also serves as President of INTOSAI. 

The 10th EUROSAI and OLACEFS Congress (July 10th-11th, 2024)

State Comptroller and Ombudsman Matanyahu Englman, who serves as President of the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI), led together with the President of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS), the joint congress of both organizations held in Mexico City (July 10th-11th, 2024).

The discussions, attended by auditors and representatives from 70 countries across Europe and Latin America, focused on the use of artificial intelligence and big data in auditing – alongside governments' preparedness for climate change.

Comptroller Englman described to his colleagues the ongoing collaboration among audit institutions from ten European countries, which focuses on integrating AI tools into audit processes. He also presented examples of audit reports conducted by the State Comptroller’s Office that utilized advanced data analysis systems and GIS tools:
“Big data analysis enables us to reach findings based on 100% of the population, without relying on samples – but it also imposes greater responsibility on us to protect privacy when it comes to personal data.”

The Comptroller emphasized the power of audits to support vulnerable populations:
“We must be the voice of the voiceless,” he stated.

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 SAIs. 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.  Mr. 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 State Comptroller of Slovakia) 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 strengthening the collaboration between audit institutions.     

Focus on the Third Age: an International Conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Office of the Ombudsman (December 1st, 2021)  

The  office of the Ombudsman hosted (December 1st, 2021) an online international conference marking its 50th anniversary. The conference's theme was the Third Age. 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 office of the Ombudsman 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 inquiry methods to the special needs of people aged 65 and above. In 2020, 16.1% of the complaints received at the Ombudsman's office 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 Institute was reported.  

The President of the State of Israel - Mr. Isaac Herzog, former Speaker of the Knesset - KM Mickey Levy, the State Comptroller and Ombudsman - Matanyahu Englman and the director of the Ombudsman's office- Dr. Adv. Esther Ben-Haim participated in the conference. The State Comptroller and Ombudsman Englman stated that the elderly, in particular, were affected from the COVID-19 Pandemic and emphasized the importance of making the Ombudsman's office accessible to them in order to help them exercise their rights and deal with governing bodies. The Director of the Ombudsman's  office, Dr. Ben-Haim, presented the special report of the Ombudsman on "Challenges and Objectives related to Providing Services to the Elderly - Lessons learnt from Complaints Inquiry", 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 Israeli office of the Ombudsman with regards to handling 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 of longevity. 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 Ombudsman's Office held (November 24th, 2020) an International Conference on the impact of COVID-19. The conference revealed the weaknesses of the systems in  various states following the COVID-19 crisis, including the treatment of disadvantaged populations and people with disabilities and 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 Israeli office of the Ombudsman, Dr. Adv. Esther Ben-Haim and presidents of ombudsman institutions from about 50 states participated in the conference and discussed the various difficulties and health-care, social and economic issues the world was facing 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 methods used by the Ombudsman's office to assist citizens during the COVID-19 Crisis. Dr. Ben-Haim reviewed the main points mentioned in the special COVID-19 report and indicated, inter alia, that most of the complaints were related to the social safety net for those who were affected from the pandemic.       

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 ensured provision of services to the general public, in New Zealand specific manuals explaining 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, Czech 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 state audit institutionsand to position the Israeli Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman as a leading office of 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 auditors. The young leaders discussed the power of SAIs to affect individuals' rights and quality of life, the relationship between auditors and auditees as well as the relationship between the audit institution as an organization and its employees.    

Read the position paper and recommendations formed by  participants of the Conference.