Planned Budget (Total)
Other resources (non-core)
Country Indexes
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ECU_D_1.1
In 2026, the State and society have reduced socioeconomic inequalities and have promoted sustainable productive transformation with added value, the generation of livelihoods and decent work, guaranteeing equal rights and opportunities, and access for women and men to resources (UNSDCF Outcome 3)
In 2023, significant progress was made within the Ecuadorian legal framework to strengthen the economic empowerment of women. The Care Act and the Equal Pay Act were approved by the National Assembly, addressing structural barriers that limit women's participation in the economy, such as care work and the gender pay gap. On one hand, the Care Act provides protection for workers with caregiving responsibilities, establishes the foundations of the care system, and defines the rights of caregivers and care recipients. The law's scope encompasses rights related to parental leave and the foundational principles of care system coordination. On the other hand, the Equal Pay Act aims to ensure equal pay and any other economic retribution for the performance of the same work. The law includes four actions for its implementation: training, changes in organizational culture, annual reports on actions taken, and a compliance certification. Additionally, the Regulation of the Organic Law to promote the Purple Economy was approved. The regulation includes the enactment of an equality plan within organizations, prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace, and the "Purple Seal" certification for companies that excel in complying with the law. UN Women, through its work with the National Assembly and its Parliamentary Group for Women's Rights, as well as with the Ministry of Labor, provided technical assistance and inputs for the development of these legal frameworks and the generation of instruments for their application. Notable among them is the course on preventing harassment and violence in the workplace, incorporated into the Ministry of Labor's learning platform, and the Business Guide for diverse and inclusive change. Actions to prevent and address workplace harassment and violence were developed by UN Women in partnership with the British Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce. Regarding the promotion of women-led entrepreneurship, UN Women strengthened 481 women in mobility and rural women with training in business management and seed capital for the establishment of savings groups and the strengthening of their businesses. Additionally, the "Creadoras" e-commerce platform, an adaptation of UN Women's Buy from Women initiative, was launched online. The platform aims to be a space for product commercialization as well as providing training for entrepreneurs.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ECU_D_2.1
In 2026, the State improves public management and increases the protection and guarantee of rights, gender equality and social cohesion, while reducing threats to human security and promoting the eradication of all forms of violence. (UNSDCF Outcome 4)
In 2023, significant achievements were made on several fronts. In the political sphere, during the electoral processes, the parity rule was implemented, resulting in a 19% increase in the presence of women in mayoral offices and 7% in Parliament, totaling 43%. In addition, the cabinet of President-elect Daniel Noboa has a 47% representation of women. UN Women's outstanding contribution was evident in 2023, contributing with the Political Parity Index and presenting key proposals that strengthened women's political participation. In the area of Women, Peace and Security, progress was made in the construction of the National Action Plan for Resolution 1325, with institutional diagnoses and analysis for Ecuador's Peace and Security Agenda. The leadership of UN Women, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, set the tone for the development of the plan. In 2023, supported by the UN Women Regional Office, trainings were conducted with an international expert, in which key actors such as the Ministry of the Interior, National Police, Armed Forces, Ministry of Women, Prosecutor's Office and Judicial Council participated. In the prevention and eradication of violence against women, progress was made in sports and universities. The Ministry of Sports approved and implemented the Protocol for action in cases of gender violence in the Ecuadorian sports system. Club Deportivo Aucas also adopted a code of ethics that incorporates the Protocol for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence. Likewise, Cuenca State University approved a comprehensive protocol for prevention and action in cases of harassment, discrimination and violence based on gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. UN Women provided technical assistance for the development of all these instruments. 29 cities, including Quito, Ibarra, and Guayas, have endorsed the Quito Declaration in the battle against violence targeting women and girls. The Safe Cities Program achieved alliance consolidation at the local level with the successful Sixth Global Forum and Fourth World Meeting of Mayors. UN Women played a significant role in gathering data on technical violence and sexual harassment in human mobility, enabling the development of effective strategies. Tools were devised in the field of public administration to tackle the issues of sexual harassment and violence, encompassing both physical and online environments. Furthermore, four diagnoses were conducted on instances of sexual harassment encountered by women in the context of human migration. Additionally, a methodological guide was developed, outlining strategies to foster safe cities, with a particular focus on individuals in situations of human mobility. New scenarios and intervention strategies were developed to address sexual harassment in public spaces, including interventions in public transportation, the Quito subway, local politics, the cyber realm and exploration of new areas such as safe tourism for women, among others.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ECU_O_1
Principled performance: focusing on keeping UN Women a responsible and trustworthy development organization that manages its financial and other resources with integrity, which is consistent with its programmatic ambitions and fiduciary obligations.
In 2023, the UN Women Ecuador Office reached 97.35% execution of regular funds; however, challenges were faced in the implementation of non-core resources (83.05%). To ensure proper implementation, regular follow-up meetings were held between operations and program areas to jointly identify solutions to implementation challenges. Given the security situation in Ecuador, risk analysis was intensified in 2023 at both the programmatic and operational levels. The plus impact in relation to execution was observed at the territorial level, especially in the implementation of projects in areas of greatest conflict. In terms of reporting, 100% of reports to donors were delivered on time (according to the UN Women Corporate Dashboard).
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ECU_O_2
Advancing partnerships: whose purpose is that ECO effectively leverages and expands its partnerships, communications, and advocacy capacities to increase support and funding for gender equality in the fulfilment of its triple mandate
In 2023, the UN Women Ecuador office faced the challenge of renewing its strategic alliances at the national and local levels due to a change in authorities. Of particular note was the strengthening of alliances with the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Municipality of Quito, resulting in joint projects focused on economic empowerment and the elimination of gender-based violence. Communication management was also significantly improved. A strategy to integrate the communication component from the beginning of projects was consolidated, improving the consistency and visibility of the Office's communication products. Internal processes for the production of dissemination content were improved, including communication products in advice and studies. Despite the electoral situation, which affected media attention, we managed to maintain growth rates in social networks and media appearances. The impact of communication activities was notable in projects such as "Caminando", the strengthening of the identity of rural women in Quito, and the dissemination of the evaluation of the 2019-2022 Strategic Note. However, it is important to note that the visibility activities of the global campaigns were affected by the political juncture, which reduced the institutional presence and participation in initiatives such as the UNETE campaign (Come together) due to the focus on early elections. In terms of alliances with non-traditional actors, UN Women supported the Aucas Soccer Club in initiatives such as the participation with a banner on International Women's Day, the review of the ethical protocol in the context of the national protocol, and the organization of a discussion on "Challenges and progress to achieve more inclusive, diverse and violence-free sports spaces", also addressing issues of masculinities with young people from 13 to 15 years of age.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ECU_O_3
Business transformation: aimed at promoting the transformation of the organization and its business model to generate impact at scale, rooted in a culture of continuous improvement.
In 2023, the UN Women Office in Ecuador started the implementation of its Strategic Note 2023 - 2026 with a micro-planning exercise that takes up the tools provided by the regional office in the workshop on design and implementation of programs and projects. As a result of the micro-planning, each outcome area has a work plan that identifies the milestones for the year and served to monitor the execution of the portfolio during the year at the technical level. The UN Women Ecuador Office, on the other hand, raised US$2.6 million through partnerships with Ecuador's Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Municipality of Quito, the European Union, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the French Embassy in Ecuador, in accordance with its resource mobilization strategy. The Spotlight Initiative's Phase II funding and increased resource mobilization from national sources are significant. The Italian-Ecuadorian Fund for Sustainable Development and USAID have progressed negotiations for the second phase of the Spotlight initiative. These agreements are expected to be signed during the first quarter of 2024.It should be noted that in Ecuador, the political situation normally takes up a lot of space in the media. Approaches were also initiated with the Embassies of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada for their technical and financial support in the implementation of the Action Plan on Resolution 1325 that Ecuador will present in early 2024. Within this framework, UN Women and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented to these countries the progress made in the construction of the Action Plan and requested to share their experiences in the design and implementation of Action Plans in the area of gender equality. In the knowledge management, a total of 40 publications were produced, including documents, briefings, policy papers, infographics, and others on economic inclusion, safe city diagnostics in various cities, studies on women's political participation, information for the peace and security agenda, etc.Showing 1 - 5 of 7