Outcome ECU_O_5

Products services and processes: whose horizon is a CO that efficiently and effectively fulfills all institutional processes that promote the integrated execution of its normative, programmatic, and coordination mandate.

During this period, significant progress was made in ensuring the Country Office fulfills its normative, programmatic, and coordination mandates efficiently and effectively. Timely reporting to donors was a major achievement, with narrative and financial reports completed and delivered for 10 key projects, including Phase 1 of Spotlight, PRM-funded initiatives for displaced women, and various regional and local gender-focused programs. These efforts highlight the office’s ability to manage complex portfolios and meet donor requirements. In the area of evaluations, the report on the Armed Forces Gender Equality Plan was finalized, presenting findings that led to policy reforms and increased female participation, while also identifying monitoring and control challenges. A four-day training on human rights-based and gender-responsive evaluation further enhanced institutional capacity by strengthening the skills of 62 participants, including staff from governmental institutions, UN Women, and civil society. Efforts to improve monitoring systems included the development of an online platform for data and indicator collection aligned with institutional policies, alongside the renewal of the portfolio monitoring working group to optimize project supervision and tracking. The annual UNCT-SWAP analysis, led by UN Women, revealed significant progress in gender equality and inter-agency coordination, with dimensions such as Government engagement and gender mechanisms surpassing performance standards. Workshops and the Gender Group work plan follow-up were pivotal in ensuring rigorous methodological reviews and informed decision-making. All joint programs during this period incorporated gender-mainstreamed approaches, while communication campaigns effectively reached target populations with impactful messages, and monitoring reports reflected comprehensive disaggregated data. However, challenges were identified, particularly in the regression of gender parity and resource indicators. These require a strengthened focus on parity strategies, improved gender mainstreaming in recruitment and retention processes, and enhanced implementation of the Gender Equality Marker (GEM) to ensure greater coherence and quality in sub-output ratings. The UNCT's strong political and institutional positioning was also evident in its alliance with the Ministry of Women, demonstrating its capacity to influence public policy effectively. These efforts collectively underscore the Country Office's commitment to advancing its mandate sustainably and strategically. sp 5 statement

Products services and processes: whose horizon is a CO that efficiently and effectively fulfills all institutional processes that promote the integrated execution of its normative, programmatic, and coordination mandate.

UN Women in Ecuador has achieved significant progress in its monitoring and evaluation activities. Evaluation management solutions to the 2019-2022 Strategic Note, particularly those targeted at strengthening strategic planning, have begun to be implemented. This year, three evaluations were conducted: the final evaluation of the "Caminando" human mobility project, the mid-term evaluation of the "Improvement of the socioeconomic integration of migrants and members of the host community (with emphasis on women and youth) focused on entrepreneurial opportunities through innovation and community approach in Imbabura and Sucumbíos" project, and the evaluation of the Armed Forces gender policy. Although the latter is an evaluation of a national public policy, the findings, which will be released in the first quarter of 2024, will be valuable inputs for activities on women, peace, and security. In addition, the office has led the Gender Equality Working Group, evidencing a budget increase of 46.77% compared to 2022. The United Nations Performance Framework (UN SWAP) has been evaluated in Ecuador, where 11 of the 15 indicators evaluated exceeded or met the established standards. The integration of the gender approach in inter-agency spaces and the training of UN System staff are also noteworthy, reflecting a clear commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment.