Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu has been re-elected as External Auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, for a four-year term from 2024 to 2027.
The CAG has already been holding this position in the WHO since 2019 for a four-year term. The present election was held on Monday in the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, where the CAG of India was re-elected with an overwhelming majority (114 out of 156 votes) in the first round of voting itself, according to a press release issued by the office of the CAG.
The CAG was personally present at the meeting. After the election, in his address to the World Health Assembly, Murmu outlined his vision as External Auditor for the WHO, emphasising on process improvement for better outcomes, transparency and professional approach.
The CAG’s appointment is recognition of the Indian institution’s standing among the international community as well as its professionalism, high standards, global audit experience and strong national credentials, the release said. This resounding victory was made possible by the sustained support and tireless efforts of the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at Geneva, his officers and a special team of handpicked officers from CAG.
This is the second major international audit assignment for the CAG this year following his selection for the post of External Auditor (2024-2027) of International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva earlier this year in March 2023.
Besides WHO, the CAG of India is currently the External Auditor of the Food and Agriculture Organization (2020-2025), the International Atomic Energy Agency (2022-2027), the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2021-2023) and the Inter Parliamentary Union (2020-2022).
The CAG is a Member of the United Nations (UN) 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.
