Ecuador

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Ecuadorian public institutions faced serious challenges in providing effective and accessible services and managing financial resources in a transparent way. Several cases of corruption related to the purchase of medical supplies during the emergency were identified. The lack of adequate health services during the pandemic and the mismanagement of public funds affected the reputation of Ecuadorian public institutions and contributed to further deterioration of people’s trust in the democratic system, a continuous trend of the past years.

With support from the Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development, UNDP provided capacity building for civil servants, worked with authorities to improve policies and strengthen institutions, and focused on measures to prevent corruption based on the principles of good governance and transparency. Anti-corruption, open government and public procurement were identified as key intervention areas.

The National Anti-Corruption Strategy was developed in a participatory manner. UNDP supported consultations among national stakeholders, including representatives of the legislative caucus of the National Assembly and journalists. These consultations contributed to a wider process of strategy development led by the Secretariat for the Anti-Corruption Public Policy and UNDP, in coordination with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other organizations, such as the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Anti-Corruption Strategy, implemented by the executive bodies such as the Service of Public Procurement and the Agency of Control of Health Services, identifies priority areas and constitutes the roadmap for the Executive Branch and other public institutions.

UNDP facilitated training for approximately 500 public officials (including more than 150 women) who improved their knowledge and understanding of integrity, rule of law and open government. This capacity building process had two levels. First, in-person sessions focusing on transformational leadership were delivered for senior government officials, including ministers and heads of public institutions. This activity had an unprecedented level of engagement from the highest authorities of the Executive Branch, and the training was inaugurated by the President of the Republic. Second, a virtual course was designed for civil servants across the country focusing on public integrity.

To support the authorities in Ecuador to provide effective and accessible services, UNDP carried out an assessment of indicators used by the Government to ensure that all of its institutions operate in line with the open government doctrine. The indicators under review were access to public information, civic participation, accountability and innovation. Based on this assessment, an improved open government index will be designed, including tools to collect disaggregated data and measure the effectiveness of state services with a gender lens.

To ensure more transparency in public procurement, UNDP supported the analysis of the legal public procurement framework, collected insights from the institutional users of the procurement system and developed a compliance gaps assessment as a first step to build a compliance management system for the National Service of Public Procurement (Sercop).

Innovation

While working with national stakeholders for the implementation of the First Open Government Action Plan, UNDP supported the Presidency of the Republic, in coordination with civil society organizations, in the operationalization of the first Citizen Innovation Lab in the country. The Lab is a workspace that fosters the interaction between citizens and the government to debate and co-design public policies or projects. UNDP facilitated the convening of various actors to form a core team that manages this Innovation Lab, led by the Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT).

Due to the frequent leadership changes in the key ministries and certain bureaucratic impediments, the implementation of the initiative will be completed in 2023. UNDP aims to support the implementation of the Second Open State Action Plan, complete the first phase of the Sercop’s Compliance Management System, and assist local authorities with designing transparency initiatives.