Civil Society Assistance Program Quarterly Report 2, January, 2015 – March, 2015

The goal of CSA is to support, strengthen, and sustain the critical work of civil society organizations (CSOs) in increasing broad-based citizen engagement with national and local government. This goal is framed by three integrated programmatic objectives: 1) to increase civil society engagement to promote transparency and accountability at the municipal and national levels; 2) to expand citizen monitoring of central and municipal government activities as allowed under Ecuadorean law, including the provision of objective, verifiable information on government performance; and 3) to strengthen the technical and financial capacity of CSOs and strengthen their efforts to establish mutual support networks and set examples of transparency and accountability in a restrictive environment. The program is implemented in partnership with three local Ecuadorian CSOs, namely GRUPO FARO (FARO), PARTICIPACION CIUDADANA (PC), and FUNDACION ESQUEL (Esquel). These three CSOs were selected due to their experience in their respective thematic areas, roles as leaders of Civil Society in Ecuador, and due to their past working relationships with USAID and other donors. The program's reporting period, January – March 2015, marked the second quarter of programmatic activity under the CSA award. During this quarter, major achievements included the completion of a CSA specific Organizational Development (OD) self-assessment by Counterpart, the development of individual OD action plans by each partner, and the collaboration between Counterpart and Esquel on a rapid assessment tool for use with second-tier sub-partner CSOs. Esquel also developed a CSO selection criteria methodology and identified potential CSOs to invite to participate in the program. FARO expressed interest from 17 municipalities in participating in their training program, developed an on-line training platform, and signed agreements with UTPL and GVF to support the training courses. FARO also finalized the strategy and design of a newsletter to provide CSOs with relevant information regarding regulations that impact their operating environment. PC identified 30 CSOs interested in participating in the National Dialogue initiative and promoted seven themes to promote in a Democracy Agenda throughout the country. The political context continues to challenge the overall operational environment of CSOs that seek to promote civil society participation. The Government of Ecuador's (GOE's) criticism of civil society persisted, especially for those working on democracy strengthening. This criticism creates an environment of uncertainty and sometimes hostility, despite the fact that the Ecuadorian constitution and laws guarantee the rights of citizens and CSOs. Despite these challenges, Ecuadorian civil society has expressed their concerns on issues of public interest, indicating their initiative to again engage in civic participation. Ecuador has experienced economic challenges given the fall of oil prices and the loss of competitiveness of Ecuadorian products in international markets. The Government of Ecuador's decision to apply up to 45% taxes on imported goods has affected the price of over 2,800 products, which according to the GOE do not affect those in the Consumer Basket. However, according to various economic analysts, this measure will affect employment in the commercial sector and the overall consumers' economy. The economic situation has also affected the political and social environment in Ecuadorian society. In February, various groups including social movements, labor unions, and indigenous groups made the decision to declare 2015 as the "Year of resistance: Lose Fear and Recover Dignity." The program's implementation has been focused on finalizing program-specific activity design and moving into the full implementation phase. The program's partners have made significant progress in achieving their objectives, despite the challenges posed by the political context. The program's achievements include the completion of a CSA specific OD self-assessment, the development of individual OD action plans, and the collaboration between Counterpart and Esquel on a rapid assessment tool. The program's partners have also expressed interest from 17 municipalities in participating in FARO's training program, developed an on-line training platform, and signed agreements with UTPL and GVF to support the training courses.