IGF Mission Summary: Audit du Ministère de l'Environnement

This Inspection Générale des Finances summary presents an administrative, financial and technical audit of Haiti's Ministry of Environment. The audit was selected because environmental policy had been declared a government priority, 2013 had been declared the year of the environment, and the ministry was important, young and relatively small. The mission's main objective was to evaluate the ministry's organization and functioning. Its scope covered strategic vision, organizational structure, human resources, material resources, financial resources and ministry achievements.

The methodology was organized in three phases: general information collection and baseline review, administrative and accounting audit, and summary evaluation of achievements, each following planning, execution and report drafting. The findings point to weak follow-up of the 1999-2014 Environmental Action Plan, absence of an operational plan, inadequate follow-up of international agreements, unstable and unformalized organizational structure, weak internal control, limited technical staffing, budget growth, and weaknesses in public-investment project design, execution, supervision and follow-up.

The audit concludes that MDE management had deficiencies preventing it from effectively carrying out its main missions and responsibilities, and it recommends legal, procedural, planning, control, staffing and project-management reforms.