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ILO picks India’s CAG as external auditor

ILO is a UN agency, which brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men…reports Asian Lite News

Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, has been selected as External Auditor of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva for a four-year term (2024 to 2027).

The CAG will take over from the present External Auditor, Supreme Audit Institution of the Philippines. Officials said that CAG’s appointment is a recognition of its standing among the international community as well as its professionalism, high standards, global audit experience, and strong national credentials.

The ILO had formed a Selection Panel for appointment of External Auditor and invited bids from the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). Based on the technical experience and other criteria, the ILO shortlisted three Supreme Audit Institutions (India, Canada and UK) for technical presentations. In Geneva, a three-member team from CAG of India presented the strengths, approach and skill set as also the vast experience of auditing international organisations to the tripartite selection panel of ILO.

Officials said that the selection panel was impressed by the CAG’s approach in developing a strategic partnership with the ILO through which it aims to assist the ILO in meeting its strategic goals while maintaining critical independence and oversight in performing the functions of the External Auditor. The panel specifically noted the relevance of the CAG’s proposed use of data analytics, risk profiling, and sampling in the audit process.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is currently the External Auditor of the World Health Organisation (2020-2023), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (2020-2025), the International Atomic Energy Agency (2022-2027), the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2021-2023), and Inter Parliamentary Union (2020-2022).

CAG is a Member of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors. He is also a member of the Governing Boards of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and ASOSAI. CAG chairs the INTOSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee, its Working Group on IT Audit and the Compliance Audit Sub-Committee.

ILO is a UN agency, which brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

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Hasina Slams ‘Wage Theft’ of Migrant Workers

Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina Wazed endorses Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) campaign to get justice for migrant workers across the world … writes Rejimon Kuttappan

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) and its partners were commended by Shiekh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, for raising voices against the non-payment of migrant workers’ wages.

“I endorse the MFA’s demand that the international community develops appropriate instruments to ensure that the employers settle the migrants’ rightful claims,” the prime minister said in a statement.

The prime minister’s message was read at an ongoing Conference on Access to Justice for Migrant Workers in Malaysia.

Conference on Access to Justice for Migrant Workers in Malaysia.

In her message, she revealed that on average, US$2119 was lost by Bangladeshi returnees from Gulf. According to MFA, the challenges to accessing justice occur across the spectrum of areas and processes of seeking justice.

“A particular point we need to consider when looking at cases of migrant workers are that the challenges are faced regardless of their status as documented/undocumented, low-skilled or high-skilled, gender, and nationality,” MFA added.

Wage theft refers to the unlawful intentional under- or non-payment of an employee’s wages or entitlements by their employer or recruitment agency. It can take a variety of forms ranging from unauthorized deductions from employee’s wages to the underpayment or delayed payment of wages, overtime, termination pay, and entitlements such as sick leave and annual leave – or no payment at all.

The MFA adds that in “building back better”, it is paramount that we inspect these systemic flaws in labor migration governance such as in access to justice for migrant workers, otherwise we run the risk of being compliant with the abusive treatment of migrant workers.

Ryszard-Cholewinski-Senior-Migration-Specialist-ILO-Regional-office-from the-Arab-states

“Governments should take responsibility for ensuring migrant workers have access to speedy, reliable, and portable justice mechanisms. Workers should not be made to wait years to receive justice,” the MFA added.

The conference is organized by MFA, the Malaysia Bar Council, and Our Journey, supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST).