EUROSAI. Magazine N18 - 2012

REPORTS AND STUDIES EUROPEAN ORGANISATION OF SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS www.eurosai.org No. 18 - 2012 > 71 < According to the United Nations, the number of natural disasters in the world has increased by 4 times and the economic damage because of disasters has increased almost by 8 times over the past 35 years. No less damaged caused by Man-caused disaster. United Nations shows that Europe is second after Asia in the number of man-caused disasters and third in the world in the number of victims in these accidents. In this connection there is a real need to evaluate the effectiveness of use of budgetary funds allocated to consequences elimination of disasters, the effectiveness of existing methods of forecasting, the impact of taken measures to prevent or reduce to a minimum the consequences of these disasters and the development of new methodological approaches for solving these problems. For this purpose in 2004 during III EUROSAIWGEAMeeting (Sofia, Bulgaria) the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine emphasized on need for in-depth study and awareness of the SAI and community to the threats of man-caused and natural catastrophes as well as environmental threats in Europe. In November 2006 at the IV EUROSAI WGEA Meeting in Luxemburg the EUROSAI WGEA Special Sub-group on the Audit of Natural, Man-Caused Disasters Consequences and radioactive Wastes Elimination was established. It became the result of our previous initiative. The main achievement of the sub-group in 2007 - 2008 was an international coordinated Audit of the Chernobyl Shelter Fund. 9 SAIs took part in this audit. Should pay attention to the fact, that international audit with such amount of participants become the precedent in the European and even in the world practice of SAIs. Taking into account the need for a deeper study of the problem of rising number of accidents, natural disasters and made-caused catastrophes, as well as the need to involve the efforts of SAI for the prevention and elimination of hazards, at VII EUROSAI Congress ( 2 - 5 June 2008 , Krakow, Poland), it was decided to establish EUROSAI Task Force on the Audit of Funds Allocated to Disasters and Catastrophes. The Accounting Chamber of Ukraine was elected Chairman of the EUROSAI Task Force. Since its establishment, the Task Force has carry out considerable work. Full Report about results of the Task Force activities in 2008 - 2011 was presented on VIII EUROSAI Congress ( 30 . 05 - 2 . 06 . 2011 , Lisbon, Portugal), where the resolution on extending the mandate of Task Force until 2014 was accepted. Task Force consists of 13 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine and the European Court of Auditors and 3 SAIs involved as observers: SAI of Norway, Slovakia and Italy. At the 39 th EUROSAI Steering Committee Meeting ( 28 - 30 . 04 . 2012 , Ankara, Turkey) the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine on the behalf of the Task Force presented newWork Plan on 2012 - 2014 . n No less damaged caused by Man- caused disaster. United Nations shows that Europe is second after Asia in the number of man-caused disasters and third in the world in the number of victims in these accidents. n Plans and prospects of EUROSAI Task Force on the Audit of Funds. Allocated to Disasters and catastrophes SAI of Ukraine, Chair of Task Force