LET’S SEE. LET’S CHANGE – this is an invitation to the national conference on sustainable development SIGNALS 2019 organised for the third time by the National Audit Office of Lithuania that calls us to look at the strongest signals sent this year: • Strategic thinking: do we see a part or the whole? • Added value generating change: How to implement it? • Social welfare puzzle: How to make decisions that bring positive changes? The ongoing reform of strategic planning and budgeting system is a complicated and lengthy process, which requires the involvement of all interested institutions. We have to choose whether we want to continue observing only some parts of public activities and public finances or whether we can see the whole and make the most efficient strategic decisions. At the plenary session, we will invite the participants to look at how the national strategic decisions and their financing affects the welfare of the country and its economic growth; what trends are seen among the major economies, and what directions of public finances work best. At one of the parallel sessions, experts will share their experiences on how to successfully implement changes and why some reforms are particularly complex; will look for ways to implement changes, and will share best Lithuanian practice. Effectiveness of social policy measures in reducing the income inequality, well-directed social assistance, a role of social dialogue, and the potential of social business – these are the topics for discussion, agreements, decisions, and changes at the second parallel session. When assessed from different perspectives, signals may be understood differently, therefore, to achieve a real change, it is necessary to see the whole. The signals caught at the conference, the greatest challenges facing the State, and the significant tasks awaiting us will be discussed from personal insights by representatives of the academia, the public, and the National Audit Office of Lithuania at the closing session. Even small changes may create a better State. A robust audit provides support to a good leader, therefore, for the second year already, we will give awards to public sector auditors for innovative audit solutions, change initiatives, and audit impact.
