Civil Society Assistance Program Quarterly Report

The program seeks to increase transparency, strengthen local governance, and support electoral and political consensus building, particularly in the context of the 2021 national elections. During the July-September 2020 quarter, Ecuador continued to manage the COVID-19 crisis, seeking a balance between ensuring public health, restarting the economy, and coordinating efforts in advance of the national elections. In response to this context, Counterpart International (CPI) and its partner organizations conducted an in-depth analysis of the crisis to adapt their interventions and activities to the pandemic. The program's strategy focused on four key areas of action: generating open data for decision-making at the national and local level, finding solutions to challenges presented by the national crisis, implementing activities to fight gender-based violence, and strengthening the electoral process for the 2021 elections. In the area of open data, the Urban Lab was launched by IDE, providing citizens with access to studies and data on the 29 main cities of the country. The Urban Lab aims to be a national and international tool for collective knowledge production on cities, empowering citizens and facilitating decision-making at the public and private level. Fundacion Ciudadana Desarrollo (FCD) presented the first report on the Public Procurement Observatory, analyzing the 7,040 contracts executed during the COVID-19 emergency spending window, totaling US $207.2 million. The report's results showed that 4 of the 10 vendors contracted warranted being legally disqualified throughout the contracting process. The Social Pact entered its second phase, reviewing and prioritizing proposals submitted and creating concrete action plans for the short, medium, and long term. As part of the Social Pact's communication and advocacy strategy, public statements, press conferences, and interviews were held in the media, resulting in 33 appearances in the press, radio, digital media, and television. Implementation of activities to fight gender-based violence was also a key focus, with the inter-institutional group, led by ESQUEL, coordinating support to 380 reported cases of gender-based violence against women. The slogan "I do not stay silent" was created and disseminated across social media, reaching 383,015 people. Strengthening the electoral process for the 2021 elections was another priority, with PC, FARO, IDE, and ESQUEL developing activities aimed at supporting transparency and good management of the electoral process, as well as generating a joint campaign to hold informed vote activities for citizens. PC presented recommendations to the regulations for the operation of political parties, including registering candidates to represent political parties. In the next quarter, the CSA Program will focus on finalizing the proposals generated by the Social Pact, supporting and implementing activities related to getting out the vote and supporting an informed vote, improving the transparency of the electoral process, and finalizing key deliverables. The main challenge for the government during this quarter has been to find a balance between protecting citizens' health and boosting the economy. Official figures from the Ministry of Health report 119,000 positive cases of COVID-19 and almost 11,000 deaths. The state of emergency ended on September 14, lifting enforcements around curfews and quarantining in Ecuador. Local governments will now be responsible for implementing protection measures in each city according to the number of infections and deaths.