GENEVA: Kuwait has launched a national initiative aimed at strengthening the role of public financial oversight in achieving sustainable development goals, officials said Thursday. Speaking at a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting in Geneva, Nada Al-Sahli, Head of Kuwait’s Bureau of Financial Controllers, said the initiative “embodies a comprehensive vision that links financial governance and sustainability and supports integration between good governance and sustainable development.”
Al-Sahli explained that the initiative is built on three main pillars. The first integrates environmental, social and corporate governance indicators into public auditing processes. This approach ensures government institutions are evaluated not only on financial performance but also on environmental and social outcomes. More than 70 government entities have been assessed under this framework.
The second pillar focuses on workforce empowerment and professional development. Auditors are trained to evaluate programs and projects according to sustainable development goals, allowing them to measure actual developmental impact alongside traditional financial indicators.
The third pillar aims to improve government reporting processes. New guidelines encourage agencies to produce reports that combine financial results with sustainability outcomes, enhancing transparency and providing policymakers with more accurate data for public policy decisions.
Al-Sahli emphasized that these efforts “contribute to strengthening and improving the efficiency of the national oversight system, supporting Kuwait’s 2035 vision and cementing the country’s regional role in linking financial governance with sustainability.”
She added that oversight institutions are “key pillars of good governance” and that directing oversight tools toward sustainable development goals ensures governments are accountable for both outcomes and societal impact. Al-Sahli also reaffirmed Kuwait’s commitment to international cooperation. She said the country is keen to continue collaboration with organizations, especially UNCTAD, and to exchange global expertise in developing effective and transparent financial oversight systems that prioritize people and the environment. — KUNA
