CADRE (Collaboration, Action and Dialogue to Reinforce the Engagement of Civil Society in improving Public Financial Management)

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, governments need strong and transparent public financial management systems that enable them to receive, allocate and spend the necessary funds sustainably, effectively and efficiently. When oversight is weak – often due to the limited capacity of audit institutions and civil society and gaps in regulations – the mismanagement of public funds can occur.

Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) provide a check on governments’ use of public resources through regular audits of government budgets, revenues and expenditures. Through their investigations, reporting and recommendations, SAIs are a key component of any government’s integrity and accountability system.

The Collaboration, Action and Dialogue to Reinforce the Engagement of Civil Society in improving public financial management (CADRE) project aims to strengthen the watchdog role of civil society and SAIs as key players that hold public institutions responsible and accountable on the use of public finances. By working together towards this common goal, they can strengthen each other and be more effective. This is what the CADRE initiative strives to facilitate.

The CADRE project aims to strengthen the skills and systems of civil society and SAIs to hold governments to account for the use and management of public resources. Civil society in Malawi and Zambia are potential key partners for SAIs, given their important role in ensuring the equitable and effective distribution and use of public funds. Closer collaboration between them has been shown to enhance financial transparency and accountability in government. This capacity building could result in greater ownership of audit reports by citizens, additional access to key information for audits, including the perspectives of women and other vulnerable groups, increased public pressure on parliaments and governments to act on the findings and recommendations contained in these reports, and increased public trust in SAIs.

This project also raises awareness of the role of SAIs and civil society in public financial management, and advocates to enhance oversight of public spending. The role of independent and competent SAIs in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is recognised, but they still face some challenges. Too often, they cannot access the information they need to perform their function, and their findings do not always result in actual change.