2.5 Overall programme implementation

to adapt to digital platforms for remote working and coordination of activities. Secondly, the project made optimal use of available resources despite State budget cuts, including planning, monitoring and the use of technological resources, and overall, budget restrictions did not disrupt the electoral process.

Under the Engagement Facility, UNDP accompanied two government transition processes, at local and national levels. This process has been vital for the democratic consolidation of the country, which historically has been characterized by discontinuity and lack of legitimacy of government transition processes. Thus, in the pre-handover process, local technical assistance was provided for the change of government in the Metropolitan District of Quito. The application of the UNDP ‘SIGOB’ methodology enabled a reduction in the time and cost of learning and provided the incoming Government with a roadmap based on the definition of priorities for strategies, which should endure. This assistance allowed for subsequent work on the transition of the Government at the national level in 2021.193 This pre-handover, and the full handover process, took place through the technical wing of the Transition Committee, supported by UNDP, whose objective was to guarantee the institutional continuity of the most relevant projects, norms, contracts and systems. In this regard, the former Government selected the ‘Violet Economy’ policy as one of the prime initiatives and transferred it to the new Government. This momentum has been used to initiate anti-corruption work with the new Government. UNDP now has the chance to explore how to open other traditional areas of UNDP work in governance, such as justice, which are highly relevant in the country context.

Efficiency and transparency have also been highlighted in relation to UNDP institutional support to PetroEcuador.194 The project was relevant for achieving an agile, competitive and transparent process of technical evaluation for five emblematic infrastructure projects. UNDP participation guaranteed a transparent bidding process closed to interference, and impartiality in the technical evaluation results, which ensured that the outcomes were not subsequently questioned in a highly politicized environment. Furthermore, UNDP operations made it possible to generate a surplus of $3.5 million over the budget initially planned by the institution. However, the intervention was ad hoc. Even if UNDP strengthened the capacities of PetroEcuador officials in contract management and transparency, this process was not extended to other government institutions or public enterprises with similar weaknesses.195

Finding 17. Strategic positioning: UNDP is recognised as an independent entity with a high level of credibility, capable of developing partnerships on a wide range of issues and actors, and as a promoter of gender equality with high capacity for project implementation. However, the fact that UNDP has covered multiple thematic areas broadly may have weakened its image and perceived value to partners.

Most interviewees agreed that UNDP is the United Nations agency with the broadest mandate, and thus has the advantage of a comprehensive approach that covers multiple issues. The organization’s added value lies in its technical knowledge, its relationship and convening capacity with national and local public institutions and private actors, its credibility and capacity to respond to crucial challenges for the country. This has been demonstrated for strategic planning and design,196 and implementation in response to disasters, governance and socioeconomic crises, with an approach beyond immediate humanitarian response towards longer-term development.

193 The transition from President Moreno to President Lasso. 194 Technical evaluation of projects managed by the Public Hydrocarbon Company of Ecuador - EP Petroecuador project. 195 A new initiative with the Public Procurement Service was launched midyear 2021 and did not fall within the scope of this ICPE. 196 with participatory planning exercises (e.g. UNSDCF and CPD) elaborated together with Government, civil society, academia, private sector and other international cooperation partners.

Given the importance and size of the environment portfolio in this programme cycle, a wide range of interviewees confirmed that UNDP is considered a strategic partner in this area. It has achieved relevant positioning to support the Government to implement its environmental agenda and mobilize funds to finance it, including complex global funds such as GEF and GCF. In addition, it has contributed to the fulfilment of international convention requirements (such as CBD, Nagoya and Minamata), and the implementation of projects in different key environmental areas for the country while mainstreaming gender and promoting sustainable livelihoods.

Positioning on governance issues has been marked by the UNDP role in the October 2019 crisis, electoral support in 2020-21, government transition processes and the PDNA process in response to COVID-19. This programme cycle has opened up previously closed spaces for work on democratic governance with great potential to demonstrate the possibilities of UNDP integrator role. Interventions in social protection and inclusive economic development have succeeded in generating multiple alliances and promoting relevant issues, such as work with youth and migrants and the economic empowerment of women. However, interventions had difficulty conveying a clear image of the positioning sought by UNDP and how this could contribute to the ultimate goal of eradicating poverty in the country.

This situation is reflected in trends in partner perceptions over time. The perception of the UNDP contribution to certain thematic areas of development has been improving over time, for example in gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEwE), democratic governance and disaster risk reduction (DRR), as seen in Figure 12. These areas reached their highest historical score in 2020. This perception of partners is in line with the results identified in previous findings, with the case of GEwE being the most evident given its cross-cutting nature and the current efforts of UNDP Ecuador to integrate a gender perspective in all programme areas.

However, partners also noted the risks of influencing so many thematic areas and the trade-offs this generates. Most significant is the poor perception of the UNDP role and contribution to poverty reduction in the country. This should drive most efforts and initiatives in the country, as it is directly related to one of the organization’s ultimate goals, highlighted in Outcome 1 of the UNDP Strategic Plan. Another trade-off is reflected in the added value as a partner and associated favourable image, both of which have decreased since 2015 and this could be related to staff workload.