The Commission on Audit (COA) shared its experiences in the audit of Gender and Development (GAD) Funds with a high-level delegation from the Royal Government of Cambodia as part of a comprehensive study visit focusing on Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and women’s leadership initiatives on 8 October 2024 at the COA Central Office in Quezon City.
The study visit was organized by the United Nations Development Programme with the objective of enhancing the capacity of Cambodian policymakers and technical practitioners in promoting gender-responsive budgeting and women’s leadership. The study visit gave valuable insights into the Philippines’ national experience in implementing GRB which has become a key tool for promoting gender equality through public finance.
COA Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba welcomed around 32 delegates from Cambodia led by Her Excellency Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia.
Chairperson Cordoba noted that the visit marks an important step toward strengthening regional partnerships aimed at advancing gender equality and inclusive governance across the Asian region. He underscored the significance of the discussions to provide practical insights that could benefit Cambodia’s GRB initiatives. “Your site visits to various government agencies showcase how GRB is applied in the Philippine context, offering valuable examples of best practices.”
For her part, Minister Phavi thanked COA for the opportunity to understand important aspects of GRB implementation in the Philippines, including capacity development requirements, gender auditing, and GRB tools for sectoral use.
Resource persons from the Commission’s Gender and Development Focal Point System Technical Working Group, chaired by Assistant Commissioner Fortunata M. Rubico, discussed how the COA audits gender-responsive budgets to ensure accountability in gender budgeting. COA has been known in the international audit community as a pioneer in the audit of GAD Funds and has continuously enhanced the conduct of audit by prescribing and updating audit guidelines and promoting both capacity and capability-building of its personnel in the audit of GAD.
Aside from COA, the Cambodia delegation also visited the Philippine Commission on Women, the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
