Outcome 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.

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 2024, despite the political instability, the UN Women Ecuador achieved strategic alliances at the national and local levels, such as the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Municipality of Quito, the National Assembly, the Roundtable of International Cooperation, MEGECI, among others; alliances with donors as EU, USAID and FIEDS resulting in joint projects focused on the elimination of gender-based violence, as Spotlight Initiative 2.0. Ecuador is the first country in the region to funding the second phase an including new donors; strengthened the Civil Society Advisory Group to highlight the women`s priorities. Regarding the communication strategy, Ecuador CO positioned as a reference on gender equality and women's empowerment issues in normally reactive environments such as the private sector and younger feminist organizations, through the office's actions or in coordination with other UN agencies, relevant knowledge products. Part of the communication work, materials and processes were generated to support the work on women's economic empowermen t, especially in relation to entrepreneurship and the generation of livelihoods, and support the strengthening of civil society organizations; the plan of Zero Harassment campaign for the City of Quito, the Journalism for hope with Zarelia Feminist journalism festival; testimonies of the women participating in the projects, which allows us to learn first-hand about the impact of UN Women's actions on their lives were collected, for example those of the athletes who participated in the Olympic Games , who were involved in the process of disseminating the protocol for the prevention of violence in sport. Particular importance was the communications support work for the inter-agency project Spotlight Initiative in the mission of Cecilia Suárez, ambassador of the Secretary General for the Spotlight Initiative. This mission lasted 6 days and allowed us to place reflection on the prevention of femicide on the agenda of traditional media. In terms of alliances with non-traditional actors, UN Women maintain a key collaboration with the Ministry of Sports resulted in the development of a comprehensive public policy cycle aimed at preventing and responding to violence against women, VAW, and promoting gender equality in sports. Through this initiative, UN Women provided technical assistance for the implementation of the Action Protocol in cases of gender violence, training 315 officials and directors of sports federations and training resources were developed. In addition, UN Women strengthened partnerships with the private sector through the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Thirteen companies signed onto the WEPs, and seven key events were organized to address topics such as the Violet Law and gender equality across various industries. A pilot implementation of the Business Guide for Diverse and Inclusive Change was carried out with six companies. Furthermore, a collaboration with Women for Women Ecuador supported the fifth edition of the El Talento No Tiene Género award and the development of a methodology for engaging men in gender equality efforts within the private sector https://ecuador.unwomen.org/es/digital-library/publications/2024/09/fomento-de-la-innovacion-para-mujeres-rurales-de-quito-catalogo-de-emprendimientos https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_1HRO-tlgd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDb4XdKNoOd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D https://www.weps.org/companies