CAG GC Murmu appointed as Vice-Chair of UN External Auditors' Panel

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu has been elected as the Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Auditor Panel for 2024. The selection of GC Murmu underlines India's commitment to the highest standards of external audit and active role in shaping the global audit landscape.

• CAG Girish Chandra Murmu of India participated in the 63rd session of the Panel of External Auditors held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 20-21 November 2023.
• The panel of external auditors comprises the heads of 12 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) globally. This UN panel audits specialized agencies.

Representatives from 12 countries on the panel of UN external auditors

• The panel, comprising representatives from India, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, France, China, Germany and the United Kingdom, conducts audits of the UN Secretariat, funds, programs and specialized agencies.

GC Murmu's event in New York:

• At the meeting, GC Murmu led the discussion on important financial and management issues affecting UN entities.
• GC Murmu held a meeting with Pierre Moscovici, the first President of the Cour des Comptes (France's highest audit body), on the sidelines of the panel meeting to strengthen bilateral relations between the two SAIs.
• The Annual Meeting serves as a unique forum for collaborative discussion on a wide range of issues, including follow-up on the Secretary-General's response to the Panel Paper and addressing key concerns related to finance and management, climate change and digital matters.
• In a separate meeting, GC Murmu met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with panel members. Exchanged views in the areas of risk management, challenging financial environment and the imperative of well-structured financing strategies.
• Panelists at the meeting expressed concern about digital transformation as well as stressed the important role of the UN system in guiding and managing climate finance issues.

The current members of the UN Board of Auditors are:

• Chairman: Hou Kai (Auditor General of the People's Republic of China)
  • The term expires on June 30, 2026.
• Pierre Moscovici (France) His term will end on 30 June 2028.
• Jorge Bermúdez (Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile) His term expires on June 30, 2024.
• The chairmanship of the board is rotated every two years, and has been held by Hou Kai since 1 January 2023.

Murmu has also been the external auditor of WHO:

• Girish Chandra Murmu was elected the external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for four years in May 2023.
• Murmu has been the first Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir:
• Girish Chandra Murmu was sworn in as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in July 2020, as Jammu and Kashmir officially lost its statehood. Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
• Girish Chandra Murmu was a 1985 batch IAS officer from Gujarat, Murmu served as the Expenditure Secretary at the Center before being appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.