World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
National and local institutions deliver multi sector responses to address violence against women and girls in development and humanitarian settings
Stakeholders with knowledge and leadership capacities for the adoption, implementation and monitoring of comprehensive laws addressing VAWG and gender-based inequality and discrimination. This aims to enhance women’s access to centered essential services and to ensure support and protection and to prevent violence from re-occurring, including in humanitarian settings
Indicator 3.1a Number of national and local institutions, policies and mechanisms implementing measures in line with international standards on VAW
Number of national and/or local (multi) sectoral strategies, policies and/or action plans that are adopted with a focus on gender equality (CO)
- Complementary Indicator UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF
Extent of bias in gender equality attitudes and/or gender social norms among individuals (CO)
- Complementary Indicator UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF
Number of institutions putting in places policies and practices to address gender-based discrimination and/or combat gender stereotypes (CO)
- Complementary Indicator UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO
SP 4.11.1: Number of National Action Plans and Strategies to end violence against women that have a component that addresses social norms, attitudes, and behavior transformation, developed with UN-Women's support
SP 4.11.2a: Number of countries that have, with UN Women's support, (1) conducted community activities with women and men, boys and girls on gender equality and respectful relationships and (2) developed national informal or formal education curricula on gender and violence against women in primary and/or secondary schools.
SP 4.11.3: Number of countries supported by UN-Women to improve guidelines, protocols, standard operating procedures (in line with best practices) on the provision of quality services for victims and survivors
SP 4.11.4: Number of countries that provide information about women's rights to access quality essential services for victims and survivors of violence, with UN-Women's support
SP 4.11.2b: Number of countries that have, with UN Women's support, (1) conducted community activities with women and men, boys and girls on gender equality and respectful relationships and (2) developed national informal or formal education curricula on gender and violence against women in primary and/or secondary schools.
SP 4.12.1: Number of safe cities/safe public spaces partnerships in place which include women in decision-making positions
SP 4.12.2: Number of local development plans developed or strengthened with the support of UN-Women that are gender-responsive and address sexual harassment against women and girls in public spaces
SP 4.12.3: Number of countries where different sectors address the elimination of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces through the transformation of social norms
SP 4.12.4: Number of partners supported by UN-Women whose knowledge and skills to influence legislation and policies on sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces are improved, disaggregated by sex - TOTAL
Number of local institutions with increased capacities to develop norms or instruments for implementation of measures to eradicate VAW
Number of measures implemented to eradicate SVAW in Quito
Number of local governments with enhanced capabilities for implementation of measures to eradicate VAWG
Number of stakeholders working for the adoption, implementation and monitoring of comprehensive laws addressing VAWG and gender-based inequality and discrimination.
Number of partners that have increased capacities to promote/influence gender responsive legislation (CO)
Number of countries with multi stakeholder initiatives in place to prevent and respond to sexual violence including sexual harassment in public and/or private spaces (CO)
Number of thematic interagency mechanisms/teams that effectively address gender mainstreaming in priority areas (CO, RO, HQ)
Number of institutions that develop norms, instruments and/or measures to implement the Plan to erraticate Violence in line with international standards on VAW
Number of improved guidelines, protocols, standard operating procedures (in line with best practices) on the provision of quality services for victims and survivors supported by UN-Women
Number of institutions with strengthened capacities to improve the provision of essential services, goods and/or resources for women (CO)
Number of countries supported to develop and/or implement guidelines, protocols and standard operating procedures to strengthen EVAWG services in line with the Essential Services Package (CO)
Number of countries with multi stakeholder initiatives in place to prevent and respond to sexual violence including sexual harassment in public and/or private spaces (CO)
Number of countries with a process to design and implement VAW prevention strategies, or with VAW prevention interventions based on global norms and standards (CO)
Number of housing solutions with minimum standards that ensure a safe and secure environment
Number of countries with a process to design and implement VAW prevention strategies, or with VAW prevention interventions based on global norms and standards (CO)
Number of reports prepared to be presented to CEDAW Committee
Number of advocacy strategies created and recommendations presented and discussed in relevant fora
National and local institutions deliver multi sector responses to address violence against women and girls in development and humanitarian settings
UNW made considerable progress on this Outcome in 2022, national and local institutions have generated instruments and developed capacities to respond to violence against women and girls in humanitarian and development contexts. Regarding women's right to political participation and the elimination of political violence, UNW worked jointly with the National Electoral Council to strengthen the Political Training School for Women that promotes the participation of women in the political arena, strengthening the leadership of 330 women politicians who are part of the candidates to sectional elections in 2023. In Galapagos, UNW coordinated with the Government Council to conduct workshops on Masculinities with 35 officials of the entities of the System for the Protection of Victims of Violence (National Police, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion, Ministry of Human Rights, Prosecutor's Office, Council of the Judiciary and the Government Council of Galapagos), which generated individual and institutional commitment to replicate the information in their communities and entities. UN Women, with the support of UNW Regional Office, developed appropriate conceptual and methodological tools for the incorporation of gender approach in the foreign policy agenda in foreign relations and human mobility, through training modules adopted within the Diplomatic Training School. Finally, UNW and the Ministry started the design of the National Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325, training Ministry's staff in this normative framework. Within the framework of Safe Cities program, UNW developed a prevention and attention to victims of sexual harassment procedure for Quito Subway. In Cuenca, worked with three parish governments: Victoria del Portete, Quingeo and Sinincay in the geo-referencing and digital labeling of spaces identified as unsafe for women on community roads. In 2022, men in intervention territories, public officials, technicians of social organizations, cooperation agencies have the knowledge and tools to implement practices in non-violent and co-responsible masculinities, becoming allies for the prevention of gender-based violence. Under the methodology of Masculinities in Movement developed in “Caminando” Project, 58 men from Ibarra, Esmeraldas, Lago Agrio and Tulcan strengthened their knowledge in gender and human mobility, human rights, and became trainers of other men using a cascade methodology, thus achieving a community-based replication. Also, 92 community communicators have knowledge and skills on gender approach, violence prevention and non-violent and co-responsible masculinities. Masculinity in Movement was also part of UNW Executive Board Agenda where Board Members played the tools developed and recommended to present the Initiative to UN member countries, given that they consider it an example of transformation and learning. In this context, the theory of change is applicable for this outcome. By 2023, within the framework of UN Women Ecuador's new strategic note 2023 - 2026, drivers for change include strengthening the development of norms and standards on gender equality and women's empowerment in line with intergovernmental processes, the production, analysis and use of gender statistics and knowledge, as well as women's voice, leadership and action, and positive social norms including engagement with men and boys, through technical support for the implementation of national policies on gender-based violence including prevention, care, protection and reparations to victims. According to Aldea Foundation in 2022 the civil society registered 332 cases of violent deaths of women for gender-based reasons, of these. It´s necessary to make visible and name these other feminicides in contexts of criminal economies, territorial disputes between narco-criminal gangs and high prevalence of criminal contexts. Of the total registered in 2022, at least 48 women reported a history of violence and 9 had an emergency call; 57 femicides could have been prevented if a protection system had been activated by the State. The youngest victim was 3 months old, and the oldest victim was 84 years old, demonstrating that gender-based violence against women crosses the entire life cycle. 14 women were pregnant, 4 out of 10 victims were mothers, at least for which information is available, meaning that at least 245 children were orphaned in 2022. Source http://www.fundacionaldea.org/noticias-aldea/mapa2022 . In 2022 there was an emblematic case that shocked the entire Ecuadorian society, Maria Belen Bernal was murdered by her spouse inside the Police National Former School, her body was found 10 days later buried in the Casitagua hill. This event activated several women's organizations and feminist activists who raised their voices to demand a response from the State to the dangerous situation of women and girls in Ecuador. Despite this difficult scenario, UN Women has obtained several results that support the task of eliminating violence against women, including technical assistance and political advocacy for the creation of the Ministry of Women and Human Rights, an entity that received support for the definition of a functional structure, a consolidated institutional vision and the prioritization of issues relevant to girls and women in Ecuador the strengthening of systems for the prevention, protection and care of victims of gender-based violence; inter-institutional coordination for the construction of the national care system, in conjunction with other institutions of the executive branch; strengthening, together with the Gender Equality Council, the incorporation of the gender perspective in public policies in relation to the executive function; the effective incorporation of the human rights approach in national and local public policies, in addition to the important results obtained through the Safe Cities program, the Spotlight Initiative and the actions framed within the framework of humanitarian aid have made it possible to support the State and women in recognizing their diversity, the different types and areas of violence, as well as recognizing territorial differences, focusing on the situation in areas of violence that are not made visible, such as violence in public spaces and migrant women. The year 2023 is a year in which local government candidates will be selected and electoral campaigns will take place so these tools will be essential to support women's right to participate on equal terms. In 2022, this Outcome has several lessons learned, such as the need to strengthen the joint work between the State and Civil Society and to identify the role of the United Nations System Agencies as facilitators of these spaces. In addition, it is vital to have evidence to show the extent of the problem of violence in all areas to take measures and decisions in the medium term. On the other hand, it is important to work at different levels within the branches of government, in addition to the work being done with the National Assembly, because although it is the body responsible for enacting and overseeing laws, it is the Executive and Local Governments who implement them and there must be adequate coordination, especially in the provision of quality care services to victims, which is still deficient despite the existence of tools and learning channels, and more specialized capacities must be strengthened. Finally, to highlight the importance and necessity of the context for collaborating with men to reflect on the urgency of changing socio-cultural patterns focused on the construction of new masculinities.Disclaimer and notes
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).