Welcome to the United Nations
What is it?
The principle of independent oversight holds that, to retain trust in government, oversight agencies are to act according to strictly professional considerations and apart from and unaffected by others.
Why is it important?
Oversight mechanisms, such as supreme audit institutions (SAIs), play both a pre-emptive and corrective role in effective governance. To retain trust in government, oversight agencies are to act according to strictly professional considerations and apart from and unaffected by others. Independent oversight can lead to increased transparency of government processes, resulting in increased accountability; as well as enhanced policies.
Commonly used strategies
Commonly used strategies include promotion of the independence of regulatory agencies, arrangements for review of administrative decisions by courts or other bodies, independent audit and respect for legality.
What are some key insights for governments?
Building competent public fiscal management capacity at the national and local levels, together with adequate oversight, remains a major challenge for public administration that should urgently be addressed. Oversight agencies are encouraged to strengthen the use of open data and artificial intelligence to detect and deter corruption and bribery in all their forms. Strengthening oversight by civil society, including through the application of a standard methodology for measuring people’s satisfaction with public services, is found to be useful in promoting institutional effectiveness, accountability and inclusiveness.