Civil Society Assistance Program Quarterly Report

Report Period: April – June 30, 2017

Delivered to: USAID

Implementer: Counterpart International Cooperative Agreement Number: AID-OAA-LA-14-00011

2345 Crystal Drive Suite 301 Arlington, VA 22202, USA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS ...... 4 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 5 II. POLITICAL CONTEXT ...... 8 III. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES ...... 11 IV. MONITORING AND EVALUATION...... 30 V. ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...... 31 VI. BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES ...... 32 VII. EXPENSES ...... 33 VIII. NEXT QUARTER PRIORITIES ...... 33

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 2 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 List of Acronyms

AME Association of Ecuadorian Municipalities (Spanish acronym Asociación de Municipalidades del Ecuador. CEOSC Confederation of Ecuadorian CSOs (Spanish acronym Confederación Ecuatoriana de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil) CNE National Electoral Council (Spanish acronym Consejo Nacional Electoral) CONAIE Confederation of Indigenous Populations (Spanish acronym for Confederacion Nacional de Nacionalidades y Pueblos Indigenas) CPSCC Citizen Participacion and Social Control Council. (Spanish acronym for Consejo de Participacion Ciudadana y Control Social) CPI Counterpart International CSA Civil Society Assistance Program CSO Civil Society Organizations EPP Electoral and Political Processes ESQUEL Fundación Esquel ESQUEL – CLIC Esquel – Latin American Center for Collective Intelligence FARO Grupo FARO GADs Decentralized and Autonomous Governments (Spanish acronym Gobiernos Autónomos y Descentralizados) GOE Government of Ecuador MC Mesa de la Convergencia initiative M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NGO Non-Governmental Organization NWG National Working Group ONU – Mujeres U.N. Organization for Women (Spanish acronym for Organizacion de Naciones Unidas para la Mujer) OD Organizational Development PC Participación Ciudadana PNUD United Nations Development Program (Spanish acronym for Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo) PY Program Year SENPLADES National Secretariat for Planning and Development (Spanish acronym for Secretaria de Planificación y Desarrollo TA Technical Assistance UTPL Technical University of Loja (Spanish acronym for Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja)

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 3 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

List of Attachments

Annexes 1-2: Workshop Module II: “Citizen Participation, Transparency and Accountability”: Agenda and record of participants (FARO) Annexes 3-4: Workshop Módulo III: Gender Mainstreaming: Agenda and record of participants (FARO) Annexes 5-6: Workshops on Local Risk Management: agendas and records of participants. (FARO) Annexes 7-8: Workshop on Strategic Communication and Citizen Participation: agenda and record of participants. (FARO) Annexes 9-10: Workshop for the coordination of Change Projects: agenda and record of participants, (FARO) Annex 11: Change projects workshop´s results summary (FARO) Annex 12: Monitoring Matrix: Change Projects (FARO) Annex 13: CSO Law proposal draft. (FARO) Annex 14: Democracy Code reform proposal. (FARO) Annex 15: Meetings with Observatory Members and topics discussed. (FARO) Annex 16: Methodological Guide - Observatory´s Indicators (FARO) Annex 17: Consortium “Del Dicho, Al Hecho” first meeting agenda (FARO) Annex 18: Letters and Manifests of support to PC(PC) Annexes 19-22: CSO Strengthening Training Booklets. (PC) Annex 23: Press Release “Fighting Corruption” (PC) Annex 24: Presence in social media. (PC) Annex 25: Compilation of Communication Products (PC) Annex 26: List of media coverage. (PC) Annex 27: Compilation of comunicational products (ESQUEL) Annex 28: Alianza Igualitaria Ordinance proposal. (ESQUEL) Annex 29: Mapping of Potential Financial Sources. (ESQUEL) Annex 30: PMEP Table– Results Third Quarter PY3 (Counterpart)

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 4 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 I. Executive Summary

The Civil Society Assistance (CSA) program is a three-year program which seeks to support, strengthen and sustain the critical work of civil society organizations (CSOs) in their efforts to develop a wide base of participation and citizen linkage with national and local governments. This objective is supported by three integrated programmatic objectives: 1) Strengthen civil society’s commitment to promote transparency and accountability at the national and municipal level; 2) Expand citizen oversight of government activities at the central and municipal levels as allowed by Ecuadorian legislation, including the provision of objective and verifiable information regarding government performance, and; 3) Strengthen the technical and financial capacity of CSOs in their efforts to establish mutual support networks and examples of transparency and accountability under a restrictive environment. The program is jointly implemented by three Ecuadorian CSOs: GRUPO FARO (FARO), PARTICIPACION CIUDADANA (PC), and FUNDACION ESQUEL (Esquel).

On June 27, the CSA program was extended for a period of 18 months (until January 2019) to further strengthen citizen participation in political and electoral processes in Ecuador (with funding from the USAID EPP Fund), within the framework of the three CSA program objectives.

This report covers the third quarter (January - March 2017) of PY3. Taking into account the post- electoral political context, the partner organizations initiated thorough discussions on the decisions and first actions of the new government, and reached out to diverse civil society groups with different areas of expertise, political affiliations, and geographic locations to discuss potential strategies to promote policies and issues of public interest with the new administration. Partners also continued to approach political actors to explore the conditions that will enable them to move forward with their proposals and implement the new activities of the CSA program approved under the EPP Fund. During this period, through an international consultant, Counterpart International (CPI) provided specialized technical support on collaborative advocacy strategies to better equip partner organizations for the transition period and develop further engagement with the new government.

In addition, the CSA program continued to strengthen CSO and local government capacities in issues related to local management and development, as well as gender approach incorporation, through the Innovacción Training program. Likewise, workshops were delivered to various CSOs and other citizen groups on citizen participation, communication, social control, and advocacy. The beneficiary organizations continued to make progress in the implementation of local advocacy initiatives and in the strengthening of their knowledge and strategies for financial sustainability and other related issues. Similarly, an enabling atmosphere for CSOs continued to be promoted. Some of the results achieved during this period include the following, listed by partner organization:

FARO: The "Citizen Participation, Transparency and Accountability" and "Mainstreaming the Gender Approach" modules from the Innovacción Training program for CSOs and local governments were delivered in April and May. A total of 40 individuals participated in these modules, which consisted of an initial face-to-face workshop for each module, in addition to the online training. The fourth and final module, "Social Project Management", started in early June and will end in July. This last module will include the submission of Change Project proposals by the participants.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 5 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 FARO also faciliated three additional workshops directed to municipal officials in April. FARO worked together with the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME) and the Technical University of Loja (UTPL) to deliver these workshops. Two of the workshops focused on the issue of risk management, and 61 municipal officials from three provinces in the south of the country attended these workshops. 40 municipal officials from 22 municipalities in five provinces attended a third workshop, focused on strategic communication and citizen participation.

With the support of FARO, the eight Change Projects continued to make progress, including the incorporation of citizen participation and social control mechanisms. For example: (a) In the Pedro Moncayo canton, there are now allies from the academy to support the promotion of participatory management in municipalities and communities in the canton and the first town hall meeting for elected officials to publicly engage with citizens in the community of Tocachi took place. (b) The Indigenous Movement Unit of Tungurahua held a Provincial Accountability Assembly, with the attendance of approximately 60 community leaders, as well as provincial authorities who pledged to continue to make their government transparent before the community members.

FARO and CEOSC continued to work together to promote an enabling environment for civil society. In this quarter, these organizations finalized the draft Organic Law for Ecuadorian CSOs, which will be presented to the National Assembly once it has been shared and discussed among civil society. To this end, FARO is developing a communication and advocacy strategy aimed at: (a) promoting civil society endorsement of this draft legislation and (b) effectively promoting the draft law within the National Assembly for its discussion and further approval.

Within the set of initiatives to support political and electoral processes (EPP Fund), and seeking to institutionalize debates and transition processes in the country's political culture, FARO prepared a proposal to reform the Democracy Code, and presented it to the National Electoral Council (CNE) to integrate it into the electoral reforms that this body will present to the National Assembly in the coming months. In addition, FARO designed a format for discussions via social networks and online platforms which will allow for the interaction of citizens with the debaters.

Additionally, FARO made progress with the methodological design and establishment of institutional relations with key GOE players for the systematization of the national government transition process and the monitoring of the new administration's campaign promises over time. These will be monitored at 100 days, six months, and at the first year. Some of the actions carried out this quarter include: (a) Meetings with representatives of the Secretariat for Planning and Development (SENPLADES) to define aspects of the systematization of the transition process implemented and their potential application to the transition of sub-national governments. (b) In May and June, more than 10 meetings and workshops with different universities from around the country and international and private sector actors to form a consortium that will monitor campaign promises in the areas of education, employment, and anti-corruption. Also during this time, indicators and methodology were established for the monitoring of campaign promises in these three areas.

PC: Throughout April this organization faced challenges and threats from various actors, including members of the government — which even announced a possible closure of the organization — due to the announcement made by PC of what it interpreted as a "technical tie" based on the result of its quick count and electoral observation of the presidential ballot on April 2, without announcing which of the candidates led the race. Faced with this situation, PC received support from national and international organizations, and took a series of measures to prepare

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 6 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 for its possible dissolution, to provide greater security for the members of its team, and to find alternatives to carry out its activities during this time.

Once this situation had been resolved, between May and June PC held four training workshops in the cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Ibarra, and Loja to strengthen the capacity of CSOs and citizen groups in areas such as: constitutional tools for citizen participation, monitoring and social control, political advocacy, and communication strategies. PC developed up-to-date and easy to understand training materials for these workshops. More than 240 people from 25 cities around the country benefited from this training.

Continuing with the promotion of the issues identified through the Ethical Pact initiative, PC made a public call for transparency and the fight against corruption. In June, it issued a press release to its contacts and the media, calling for an independent anti-corruption watchdog to be set up, supporting the establishment of a national dialogue on this issue, and urging the review of what had been done by the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council. PC widened exposure to this proposal through radio and TV interviews.

Finally, the National Working Group led by PC analyzed the election results and prospects for the new government and selected the "National Economy" as the topic for analysis or White Paper in the next quarter, which will be disseminated to various audiences in order to provide constructive input on this issue to the new administration and elected officials.

ESQUEL: Esquel continued to strengthen the organizational capacity of the 11 beneficiary CSOs by offering technical and training support in areas key to organizational development. One of the themes of the assistance provided during this period was "mainstreaming gender, environment and human rights approaches". Based on this TA, organizations will incorporate these considerations into their organizational development plans and institutional policies by the end of the next quarter. Another of the priority TA themes provided by Esquel was that of communication skills and advocacy through individual meetings and training workshops, attended by 57 people participated. Through these events, Esquel aimed to support organizations to adequately convey their messages to various audiences and thus improve advocacy efforts.

In terms of financial sustainability, beneficiary CSOs continued to execute their sustainability plans with Esquel's support. As a result, three of the organizations were awarded small grants from international sources for project implementation. In addition, Esquel developed and made available to beneficiary CSOs a mapping of potential project donors in their areas of interest, and held a workshop on the preparation of business and project plans in which 18 people participated in Quito and Guayaquil. Likewise, 48 representatives from beneficiary organizations and other CSOs completed the online course: "Building Sustainable Organizations: Design, Execution and Evaluation of Social Projects".

To broaden legal assistance to in-country CSOs, Esquel incorporated a specialized section on legal issues into its EsquelCLIC online platform. This section contains 4 components: (1) Online Courses, (2) Network of Legal Experts, (3) Frequently Asked Questions and, (4) Legal Consultations. This service will be launched next quarter. To complement efforts to strengthen CSOs and citizenship in general, Esquel conducted five video-conferences via EsquelCLIC on topics such as collaborative advocacy, gender mainstreaming, environment and human rights approaches, citizen participation and the role of CSOs, pedagogical tools to combat violence, and social entrepreneurship from CSOs. Over 4,700 views were registered for these video- conferences.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 7 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 In this quarter, the advocacy projects executed by Esquel beneficiary CSOs made some progress. For example: (a) Paz y Esperanza Foundation produced two manuals on: (i) The roadmap to justice for children that are victims of sexual abuse and (ii) "The process for cases of intrafamily violence against women". These manuals were presented to public sector officials, including the Guayas Provincial Court of Justice. In addition to more than 1,200 copies being distributed, these manuals were also promoted through 11 media sources on radio, TV and in print media. (b) The Alas de Colibri Foundation continued to promote the management model it designed for the reception of victims of human trafficking, and liaising with authorities from the public entities that make up the National System Against Human Trafficking to adopt a National Unified Protocol for Victims of Trafficking. In addition, it obtained support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to print 100 additional copies in order to expand dissemination to these entities. (c) Alianza Igualitaria trained 40 young people from the coastal canton of Samborondón, who formed an Anti-Drug Brigade and developed a municipal ordinance proposal to influence the mechanisms and corrective actions applied to young people who are detained for drug consumption or possession.

As part of the support that the CSA program will provide to the Convergence Board (MC) until the end of 2018 to promote reforms and/or public policies on issues of national interest, Esquel held two internal meetings with its members. These meetings aimed to analyze the participation of the MC in the process of National Dialogue being carried out by the new administration and to define action strategies. To start this process, the MC sent a letter to the President requesting that this platform of organizations be invited to participate in the dialogue. In addition, it held a discussion meeting in which Counterpart participated (the international consultant and technical team), and shared experiences and recommendations for operation and collaboration in the formation of these type of coalitions.

The post-electoral context is marked by a new style of government with signs of openness to dialogue and citizen participation, which presents an initial favorable environment for the successful implementation of the CSA program activities. The actions undertaken and the lessons learned during this period again provide an important basis for program implementation in the next period, during which the new administration will complete its first 100 days of government and make important decisions on economic and political issues. Within the new political scenario, the CSA program will continue to help build the capacity of CSOs to strengthen their relationships as a sector and to work together with public institutions, to defend the right of association, to promote their proposals within the national dialogue and the legislative agenda, and to have the tools to monitor public administration.

II. Political Context

The most significant event in this quarter was the change in government because of the presidential and legislative elections. In addition, corruption cases under investigation continued to reveal information that intensified public distrust in the management of institutions under the previous administration, and intensified conflict between political actors during this period. The difficult economic situation facing the country was once again a topic that attracted public attention.

On April 2, the second round of the presidential election was held, in which the governing party ticket obtained 51.16% versus 48.84% for the opposition candidate, establishing Lenin Moreno

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 8 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 as President of Ecuador for the 2017-2021 term.1 The narrow margin in the presidential election results was interpreted by some analysts as a serious lowering of trust, credibility, and political support for Correa's priorities, reflecting the existing polarization of Ecuadoran society.

On May 24, President Moreno took over the Presidency and called for reconciliation and open dialogue as ways of building a new framework for political relations. Moreno's new cabinet is made up of 23 Ministers and 12 Secretaries, 16 of whom were officials of the outgoing government, including some who belonged to the cabinet when Moreno was Vice President from 2007-2013. At the moment, the political forces are in a process of reorganization and there is still a degree of uncertainty with regard to how the changes will be accomplished in regards to governance, economy, and the exercising of rights.

Some of the first decisions made by President Moreno differ with the previous style of government, which was marked by confrontation with sectors which opposed their policies. For example, he removed the Citizen Link2, which was perceived by the citizens as a confrontational space that distorted its initial purpose of being a space where information was shared about Presidential actions. Moreno also pardoned five community and indigenous leaders who had been imprisoned for participating in protests against the previous government.3 In addition, he reversed the decision issued by the previous government to end the agreement that allowed the Confederation of Nationalities and Indigenous Peoples (CONAIE) to use a building in Quito for their activities, granting a new loan for 100 years. These initial decisions, among others, were perceived as positive by citizens and contributed to stabilizing the approval rating and legitimacy of the new government.

On June 20, President Moreno signed executive decree No. 49, which aims to establish dialogue as a government policy and define mechanisms for reaching agreement with social, political, and economic actors in the development of policies, programs and projects for the country. The National Secretariat for Political Management will be the coordinator of the National Dialogue process and will create dialogue round tables on topics such as: Diversity in Nationalities, Business, Unity (social cohesion), Information, Education, Agriculture, and the Fight against Corruption. Within 60 days, the Policy Secretariat must submit its first report regarding the agreements reached. This will provide specific opportunities to promote dialogue as a priority for building relationships with different levels of government.

In addition, within the National Dialogue framework, the new President held meetings with local leaders such as the mayors of Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca, as well as other political actors representing opposition parties and movements. These meetings, as well as some of the new administration’s actions, which depart from previous administration policies, have been criticized by former President Correa and have caused disagreement within the Alianza PAIS (AP) government movement. President Moreno has confirmed his decision to maintain the dialogue, but at the same time has highlighted the importance of President Correa as leader of the AP and his commitment to the ideals of the Citizens' Revolution project.

1 CNE delivered credentials to the President and the Vice President elect of the Republic of Ecuador for the 2017-2021 term; http://cne.gob.ec/es/institucion/sala-de-prensa/noticias/4068-cne-entrego- credenciales-al-presidente-y-vicepresidente-electos-de-la-republica-del-ecuador-para-el-periodo-2017- 2021 2 Weekly television and radio bulletin broadcast established by the previous administration. 3 Article from El Universo: “Lenin Moreno firma cuatro indultos in casa Pastaza.” http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2017/06/23/nota/6244477/lenin-moreno-firma-cuatro-indultos-caso- pastaza

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 9 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

The issue of corruption also had an important influence on the country's political and social landscape. So far, eight people — including former government officials and an uncle of Vice President Jorge Glas — have been detained for their alleged involvement in cases such as Odebrecht (the Brazilian construction company under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and justice institutions for the provision of millions of dollars in bribes to public and private officials), as well as cases in the oil sector and other strategic sectors. Additionally, the State Auditor General, who had been reelected4 for the job in March 2017 for the third time (since 2007), is being investigated for the possible crime of extortion5. On June 20, he presented his resignation and on July 2 he was charged, following a political trial carried out by the National Assembly. Vice President Glas appeared in the National Assembly to present his version of his management and/or participation in the administration of the strategic sectors under his responsibility where these acts of corruption occurred. Currently, opposition parties are working to bring him to trial.

As an initial response to the situation of corruption in the country, on June 5, by means of executive decree No. 21, President Moreno established an "Anti-Corruption Front" made up of six people from different sectors and three members of his cabinet. This group's main function is to recommend policies to the Executive for the fight against corruption. For several analysts, this collective duplicates existing processes and is not an independent group, as it is made up of several officials and/or allies belonging to the government itself.

The new National Assembly was installed on May 14 with the election of the new authorities and the subsequent formation of legislative commissions. Alianza País (74 of the 137 members) won the absolute majority of seats in the legislative elections of February 2017, allowing it to lead 13 of the 14 legislative commissions and maintain control of the Legislature's Administration Committee (CAL). Likewise, the government movement won the presidency as well as the two vice-presidencies in the National Assembly.

The initial declarations of their new dignities, referring to legislation issues and the fight against corruption, have also been seen by certain sectors as positive signs of openness and dialogue. 6 The desire to generate agreements has been expressed on both the side of the ruling party and the opposition.7

Finally, the economic situation continued to be characterized by extensive internal and external government debt in the face of a lack of liquidity. According to the new government's Minister of the Economy8, this year alone, the government needs approximately $13 billion USD to service debt commitments.

4 By a "citizen" selection committee and approved by the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council (CPCCS) 5 Demanding contributions, salaries, or illegal gratuities, abusing one's position. 6 Article from Expreso newspaper: La Asamblea da signos de diálogo: Los candidatos de PAIS fueron ratificados en el CAL. La cuarta vocalía quedó vacante. (The Assembly shows signs of dialogue: The PAIS candidates were ratified in the CAL. The fourth speaker becomes vacant.) http://www.expreso.ec/actualidad/la-asamblea-da-signos-de-dialogo-GA1323822 7 Article from Nota Ecuador: Cristina Reyes y Augusto Espinosa confían en que oposición y oficialismo puedan llegar a acuerdos mínimos en Asamblea. (Cristina Reyes and Augusto Espinosa trust that the opposition and ruling party can reach minimum agreements in the Assembly.) http://www.ecuadorinmediato.com/index.php?module=Noticias&func=news_user_view&id=2818819168 8 Article from Ecuador Times: “Ministros de Finanzas anuncia recortes en gastos de capital.” http://www.ecuadortimes.net/es/ministro-finanzas-anuncia-recortes-gastos-capital/

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 10 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

One of the first actions taken by the new administration was the creation of economic and tax advisory councils, with the participation of the public and private sector. The government has announced that the private sector will be the main promoter of the economy and that the State will cut spending for infrastructure. Moreno has also guaranteed that the new government will not abandon dollarization and that parallel means of payment will not be used.

Although the political, economic and social context presents several challenges, the new leader's initial discourse and actions opens up the possibility of opportunities for the participation of civil society and for dialogue with political players under the new regime. Within this new context, the CSA program will be extremely relevant as it will contribute to civil society generating opinion and promoting ideas, proposals, and contributions on different issues of public interest under the new government. It will also strengthen the participation of civil society and academia in promoting transparency in the new administration, and support several different efforts to promote – with due time and preparation – active and informed citizen participation in political and electoral processes for the sub-national elections in early 2019, including the promotion of reforms in the electoral legal framework and that of citizen participation.

III. Summary of Activities

CPI LAC Director visit and meeting with US Ambassador. From April 18th - 21st, Anna Sahakyan, CPI’s Regional Director for Latin American and Caribbean, visited Ecuador and conducted meetings with CSA partners to go over main CSA Program activities and discuss key elements for future planning under the EPP Fund initiative and the new political context. She also met with selected Esquel beneficiaries in Guayaquil and human rights advocates. On April 19 th, she met with Ambassador Chapman to discuss CPI work in Ecuador. Key points raised by the Ambassador during this conversation included: (a) Opportunities that the USG and implementing partners would have to collaborate with the new Government, (b) the need to work with organizations that constructively engage with the GOE, and (c) Need for local organizations to strengthen their sustainability results, particularly with domestic funding sources. USAID and DRL officials also participated in various meetings during this visit.

Strengthening of Capacities for Advocacy. Considering the current political context which was the result of the electoral process and consequent change of government in the executive and legislative branches, this quarter, Counterpart prioritized the issue of collaborative advocacy by providing a series of TA to CSA partner organizations.

To this end, from May 29 to June 6, Pablo Lumerman, an Argentine expert in collaborative advocacy and conflict resolution, carried out a series of activities with partner organizations, including: (a) Training workshops for Esquel and Participación Ciudadana beneficiary organizations, (b) Individual meetings with executives from FARO and Esquel Foundation, (c) Facilitating a discussion session for CEOSC members to define advocacy strategies (d) Meeting with members of the Convergence Board to share experiences on successful models for collectives and advocacy networks, and (e) a Video-conference on Esquel-CLIC on collaborative advocacy. For each activity, the consultant developed and implemented methods and learning excercises based on the needs of the organizations. In addition, the consultant demonstrated his ability and knowledge to adjust and/or modify the intervention methods according to the organizational dynamics and diversity of criteria within the different coalitions and/or networks,

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 11 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 such as the case of the session with CEOSC. Several of these activities are described in more detail below in the section corresponding to each objective and partner organization.

In addition to the training workshops that were carried out for the PC and Esquel beneficiary and allied organizations, the consultant also held a two- day workshop (May 29-30) for the teams of the three partner organizations. A total of 20 participants (including two of the organizations' leaders) actively participated in this workshop, where advanced concepts, tools and strategies were discussed and shared with the goal of having a more effective and cohesive impact on issues of public interest.

Workshop — Partner Organizations, Quito, May 29-30

This workshop met the objectives and expectations of the participants in terms of enriching their advocacy skills and strategies, and further strengthened the relationship between partner organizations as they shared their experiences and discussed issues that could provide opportunities for collaboration.

Objective 1: Civil Society promotes transparency and accountability at national and municipal levels

Innovacción Program Module II: "Citizen Participation, Transparency and Accountability" aimed at GADs and CSOs. Each online module of the Innovacción Program has a face-to-face workshop, in this module, the workshop was held on April 3 and 4 in Quito. The objective of the workshop was to conduct a general review of the module contents and answer participants' questions. The online module was delivered in April through the Innovacción learning platform. Attachments 1 and 2 contain the agenda and registration of participants from the workshop mentioned.

Module II had 40 participants (26 men and 14 women) representing 10 GADs and 13 CSOs. However, only 22 people (9 men and 13 women) participated in the face-to-face workshop, since attendance was voluntary and depended on participants covering their own costs as the Innovacción program does not cover these expenses. Below is a breakdown of participants by gender and organization:

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 12 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 Graph No. 1: Participants Module II9

Participantes en Plataforma GAD / OSC Participación Ciudadana - RDC y Transparencia Abril, 2017 45 40 35 30 20 25 20 12 15 10 20 8 14 13 5 10 6 0 PARTICIPANTES MUJERES HOMBRES # GADs # OSC Source: FARO

Innovacción Program Module III: Mainstreaming the Gender Approach for GADs and CSOs. The face-to-face workshop of this module was held on May 2 and 3 in Quito with the objective of analyzing the concepts associated with the mainstreaming of gender in public management and in organizations. Module III had the same 40 participants as in Module II, and of these, there were 25 people (10 men and 15 women) who participated in the face-to-face workshop. Attachments 3 and 4 contain the agenda and registration of participants from the workshop mentioned.

Implementation Module IV: Social Project Management. This module began in June with the objective to identify practical elements for the development of social intervention projects. In addition, within the module, the Change Projects that are part of the Innovacción Program are being prepared and will be presented in July.

Workshops on Risk Management. On April 6 and 7, two workshops were held on this subject, which were attended by GAD officials from three provinces: Loja, Zamora and El Oro. The purpose of these workshops was to strengthen the capacities of GAD officials to develop strategies for risk prevention, planning and organization. FARO publicized the workshop, together with the municipalities of each city, the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME) and the UTPL. 61 GAD representatives participated (14 women and 47 men) of which 39 are from the south and 22 from the eastern part of the country. Attachments 5 and 6 present the agenda of the workshops and registration of participants.

As a result of the workshop, GAD officials are expected to incorporate risk management as an important part of the local planning and management strategy. According to the post training assessment, the participants’ knowledge increased by 33%.

Workshop on Strategic Communication and Citizen Participation. This workshop was held on April 20 and 21 in conjunction with AME and the UTPL. The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacities of GAD officials in the development of strategic communication techniques that are useful for engaging the local population. Attachments 7 and 8 feature the agenda of the workshop and registration of participants.

9 The graphic describes the CSO and GAD participants from in PC’s Module II program held in April 2017. Of the 40 participants, 20 came from GADs (listed in blue) and 20 from CSOs (listed in red). The graphic also provides a breakdown by gender, as well as the number of GADs and CSOs represented.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 13 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

Strategic Communication Workshop April 20 and 21

The workshop was attended by 40 participants (12 women and 28 men) representing 22 local governments from the following provinces: Loja, Zamora Chinchipe, El Oro, Sucumbíos, Imbabura and Pichincha. As a result of the workshop, the evaluations showed a 22% increase in workshop participants' knowledge.

Follow-up for Change Projects. On April 7, FARO held a mid-term workshop with the GAD and CSO implementing teams of the eight Change Projects. The workshop had 16 participants (10 women and 6 men).

The objectives of the workshop were: (1) Monitor projects in execution (2) Share effective communication tools to disseminate the results of Change Projects and (3) Encourage the sharing of experiences among participants, analyzing achievements and challenges. Attachments 9 and 10 contain the agenda and registration of participants.

The two most significant achievements of the projects underway were: • CSOs and GADs strengthened their knowledge in public policy implementation project and have applied the citizen participation tools learned in the training modules, and as a result can demonstrate that they have the support of the local population. • There is good coordination between CSOs and GADs for project implementation, as local collaborative advocacy strategies have been developed.

On the other hand, challenges included: • In general, it is difficult to find personnel in the cantons trained in advocacy and implementation of public policies. • CSOs and GADs consider that the budget of USD $6,000 is limited to implement the all the process involved in a citizen participation process considering all the extra activities that must be executed inr each project because of the continuous change in the political context. • CSOs and GADs need more capacity building to apply more dynamic methods in the workshops.

Attachment 11 contains the summary and results of the Change Project monitoring workshop. To date the execution of the eight projects demonstrates a technical progress of 75%. Attachment 12 includes the progress matrix for each of the projects and the results obtained during this period.

Monitoring of Change Projects. The main activities carried out in these projects are:

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 14 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

- On May 8, Cimas Foundation, Pedro Moncayo GAD and the community of this cantonheld a meeting to analyze the participatory management model in Pedro Moncayo canton. As a result of this meeting, support was obtained from the Faculties of Communication and Research of the Universidad Central and from the Provincial Council, to boost accountability in both municipal government and communities. The first accountability report presentation was held on May 28 in the Tocachi community.

- Within the project executed by the Jatun Kawsay Foundation and the Municipality of Saraguro, on May 12. The municipality held an event to present its accountability report to the citizens on May 12. In this event, the accountability report was presented in a clear manner with space for citizens to participate and propose improvements and suggestions.

- On May 18, the Indigenous Movements Unit of Tungurahua held the Provincial Accountability Assembly, with the attendance of approximately 60 community leaders. The Vice-Prefect of the Province and representatives from the province's 12 communities attended the event. The event also served to ratify the commitment of all actors to continue with these accountability processes in coming years.

- On June 23, the Municipality of Loja, held a public event to create an Urban Observatory for entrepreneurship and employment, with the participation of the city Mayor, as well as representatives of academia, chambers and civil society organizations. At the event the Mayor presented the operating model for the Observatory which aims to boost productivity and employment, by identifying the needs of the canton considering the potential of the southern region of the country.

Advocate for Changes in Civil Society Enabling Environment. FARO and the CEOSC jointly drafted an Organic Law for Ecuadorian CSOs, with the purpose of presenting it to the National Assembly and putting an end to the continuous regulation of CSOs through executive decrees that present a high degree of dispersion, discretion and state control. The aim of a new regulation is to have clear rules for the creation, development and sustainability of organizations. FARO believes that the draft Organic Law for CSOs is an ideal tool to guarantee the right to free association and have public policies that foster the work and contributions of Ecuadorian civil society.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 15 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 The project proposes the establishment of a CSO-State relationship that leads to the creation of public-social partnerships within an enabling framework that promotes the development of the sector and the protection of its rights.

For this purpose, a team of lawyers was hired to write the text of the draft bill, of which main objectives include: (1) To have a normative framework that strengthens the CSO sector and enhances its impact, (2) To contribute to the sustainability of CSOs, and (3) To foster collaboration between organized civil society and other sectors of society (state, academia, private sector). Attachment 12 contains the Draft Bill.

Additionally, FARO is developing a communication and advocacy strategy with two objectives: that CSOs and other sectors understand and discuss the regulations and can influence the National Assembly based on the identification of a parliamentary group that supports the draft bill.

As part of the strategy, FARO seeks to identify key players to achieve a link with the executive branch and take advantage of the dialogue platform that the President is promoting. For this purpose, an appointment has been sought with the President of the Republic and other government actors who may be interested in the generation of public-social alliances. The actors identified are: Rocío González, First Lady of Ecuador; Andrés Mideros, National Secretary of Planning; Paola Pabón, National Secretary for Policy Management; Irina Cabezas, Technical Secretary Misión Toda una Vida10, Pábel Múñoz, Assemblyman and President of the Economic System Commission of the National Assembly of Ecuador.

National Assembly of CEOSC. On May 31, 2017, 41 people (29 men and 12 women) from 35 CSOs attended the National Assembly of the CEOSC. The objective of the Assembly was to analyze possible advocay strategies to be followed in the new political scenario, because although President Lenin Moreno comes from the same ruling party as former President Rafael Correa, he has proposed new dialogue scenarios that open up opportunities to advocate for the draft bill for CSOs from civil society.

Counterpart supported the effort of CEOSC through the TA of Pablo Lumerman, who prepared a working session to analyze the political landscape and generate action and advocacy strategies regarding the regulatory framework. In addition, Pablo Lumerman had similar experiences in the region and provided recommendations for key actions in complicated political contexts.

Citizen Proposals: The 10 public policy proposals developed in the previous period were summarized and published in a publication entitled “Ciudadanizando la Política: Aportes de Política Pública para el Debate Nacional” ("Citizenizing Politics: Public Policy Contributions for the National Debate"). 687 copies were distributed to GADs, embassies, partner organizations, executive and legislative branches, public defender, prosecutor, National Court, Constitutional Court, Citizen Participation Council, universities, and CSOs. Below is the cover of this publication11:

10 This program contains a series of actions in the social area and is promoted by the President of the Republic who has put the first lady in charge. 11 Translation of text: “Themes captured by the public policy proposals: universal high school education; climate change; violence against children and adolescents; technical education; employment and productivity; mobility; strengthening of civil society; gender-based violence; environmental justice; open government.”

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 16 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

Process of Dialogue and Debates. The aim of this activity is to institutionalize and promote debates in electoral processes. With this objective in mind, FARO developed a proposal for the reform of the Democracy Code. The proposal was first shared with the National Electoral Council with the aim of it being included in the comprehensive proposal for electoral reforms that this body will present to the National Assembly in the coming months.

The objectives of the proposal developed by FARO are:

• Ensure that dialogue and debate between candidates becomes a public good • To create capacities within the citizenry to generate opinions that are informed, evaluated and subject to an open debate. • Provide non-partisan, independent and equitable space for all candidatures. • Increase the exposure of candidates' proposed policies. • Ensure that the citizenship receives clear and quality information on government plans. • Strengthen the capacities of political parties and movements so that they can present relevant, clear and quality governance plans. • Create connections between parties and political movements with CSOs and universities, so that their government plans include information and public policy proposals from different actors. Attachment 14 includes the reform Proposal for the Democracy Code developed by FARO.

The project was reviewed by members of the National Democratic Institute and was also presented to the CNE President on June 13, 2017. In the coming months, work will continue with the CNE to integrate this proposal into the CNE reforms and to work out a timetable and training approach for political parties that will allow them to improve the quality of their government proposals.

In addition, FARO designed a format for debates via social networks and online platforms which allows for citizens to interact with the debaters. These debates will be available on the Internet and will be disseminated on social networks. The topics and dates of the debates will be promoting via social networks and the debate’s sessions will be available in FARO’s web site For the implementation of these activities , FARO wil create a group of independent and non-partisan

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 17 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 organizations, which are going to work together with the content producer to define themes and guests of the debates. The format is presented in the following table:

Table 1: Proposed format for dialogues and debates

The Authorities Transition Process. On May 3, FARO held their first meeting with Óscar Uquillas Otero, Undersecretary of the National Secretariat for Planning and Development (SENPLADES) and the team in charge of the transition process of the administration. At this meeting, FARO presented the proposal for the analysis and systematization of the transition process to motivate future citizen participation in this process. The SENPLADES team were completely open to working together on systematizing the process and receiving recommendations to improve it, taking into account that the Executive's experience could serve as a basis for the transition processes at the local level.

On June 15, FARO held a second meeting with SENPLADES to review information and methodology to be considered in the joint work of both organizations. In addition, FARO will hold a meeting with the National Competency Council to adapt the transition protocol to the reality of the GADs and to conduct a pilot exercise in the GADs working with FARO in the five provinces where it implements the CSA Project.

Fulfillment of Presidential Campaign Promises. In order to monitor the campaign promises, the citizens' initiative "From Words to Action" was designed. The design includes the following: the actors that will intervene and their roles, the themes and proposals to be monitored, the type of indicators, products, timetable, and the process to be followed.

On May 16, 2017, a workshop was held with the majority of Ecuadorian universities to invite them to join the "From Words to Action" Consortium. During the workshop, the consortium was introduced to the proposed indicators to be developed and measured in the process.

After the workshop, 11 meetings were held between FARO and each of the universities to confirm their participation in the project and to organize the teams responsible for measuring indicators. Attachment 15: Table of Meetings held, Actors and Topics covered.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 18 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

Finally, the members of the Consortium who will follow up campaign promises were identified, including the universities, international allies, CSOs and the private sector. The list of members is as follows:

Institution Topic/Sub-topic

Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja Employment Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Primary Education Universidad Internacional del Ecuador Anti- Corruption Corporación Líderes para Gobernar Dialogue (Mainstreaming) Universidad Politécnica Salesiana Education Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica Entrepreneurship Alianza para el Emprendimiento y la Employment and Entrepreneurship Innovación Cámara de Industrias de Cuenca Technical Education Cámara Ecuatoriano-Alemana Education Counterpart International Technical Assistance UN Women Gender (mainstreaming) UNDP Technical Assistance (ODS)

Proposed Methodology to Establish Monitoring Indicators. In May and June, FARO and the Consortium established the indicators and methodology to monitor campaign promises in three specific areas: Education, Anti-Corruption and Employment. The process included the following steps: (1) Establish indicators for inputs, processes and results, collected in an instruction manual for universities and, (2) the Methodological Guide for monitoring indicators for an objective follow-up on the campaign proposals related to the selected topics over time (at 100 days, six months and the first year).

The final proposed methodology is composed of 3 x 1; e.g.: 3 sub-indicators for each indicator (input, process and result), 3 reference values (satisfactory, moderately satisfactory and not satisfactory), 3 measurement points (at 100 days, six months and one year) and a verification mechanism. Attachment 16 contains the methodological guide.

"From Words to Action" Consortium. On June 21, 2017, the first meeting of the Consortium was held with the following objectives:

1. Generate space for the Consortium members to get to know each other. 2. Decide on methodology for the construction of indicators. 3. Define minimum guidelines for the communication and political aspects of the consortium. 4. Agree on a roadmap and next steps.

15 participants (6 men and 9 women) representing the member organizations and universities belonging to the consortium attended the event. The results of the workshop were: a) Agreements on the political aspects of the consortium, b) Presentation and agreements on the final proposed methodology, c) Preparation of the road map for establishing the indicators by July 21, 2017 and,

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 19 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 d) Establishment of communication mechanisms for consultation and coordination among the Consortium members. Attachment 17 contains the Event Agenda.

Participatory Platform. Considering the experience of the organization called “Ciudadano Inteligente,” which monitored campaign promises in Chile, on May 2 a meeting was held to outline the possibilities of cooperation between this organization and FARO. As a result of this meeting, Ciudadano Inteligente was asked to submit a proposal for the implementation of a web platform to monitor the progress of the proposals made by the new government in Ecuador, adapting it to the needs of the EPP Fund related activities under the CSA Project. In addition, it is expected that Ciudadano Inteligente will provide advice and support for the implementation of the platform and the methodology to establish and monitor indicators. In the next period, the results of the analysis of this proposal will be reported.

Objective 2: Civil society fosters diverse participation and engagement

Post-election Situation. Due to PC’s announcement of a "technical tie" as a result of its observation and quick ballot count in the presidential elections on April 2, this partner organization faced serious questions, threats via social networks, and political pressure from different actors, including the Former President of Ecuador, who publicly announced the government's intention to take legal action to close the organization for allegedly contributing to an atmosphere of social chaos in the country. Faced with this situation, PC took a series of preventive security measures and contacted various national and international organizations, several of which expressed their support and solidarity, including the Quito Chamber of Commerce, the Convergence Board coalition, Human Rights Watch, as well as the Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) (Attachment 18 - Letters and Manifests).

This adverse environment hindered the normal development of PC activities and lasted until the end of April when official results were announced which matched the results obtained by PC in its quick count. Throughout May and June PC, resumed their activities planned under the CSA program and other institutional projects.

Strengthening CSOs. In this quarter, PC initiated the implementation of a series of training workshops in various provinces in order to strengthen the capacity for advocacy of CSOs on matters of public interest and to promote citizen participation in democratic processes. The workshops were aimed at representatives of Grupo Promotor member organizations, as well as other organizations and citizen groups that participated in the workshops held during the first two years of the program to build the Democratic Citizen Agenda.

For the preparation of these training activities, PC updated the contents on the selected topics, and prepared four training documents (Attachments 19-22) for workshop participants. The topics for the training sessions were: (a) Constitutional tools for Citizen Participation, (b) Monitoring and Social Control, (c) Political Advocacy, and (d) Communication Strategies. The PC technical team delivered these workshops using power point presentations, sharing examples of experiences related to these topics, and developing question and answer sessions.

The four workshops that PC organized during the period were:

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 20 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

Workshop in Guayaquil. On May 11, a workshop was held with the participation of 109 people (57 women, 52 men) from ten cities: Guayaquil, Naranjal, Duran, Daule, Milagro, Samborondón, Balzar, El Triunfo (located in Guayas Province), Santa Elena (Santa Elena Province) and Esmeraldas (Esmeraldas Province).

Strengthening CSOs Workshop - Guayaquil, May 11

Representatives from 67 organizations attended this event. The testimony of one of the CSO representatives who participated in this workshop can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hko-6eiNOg

Workshop in Quito: On June 1, a workshop was held with the participation of 53 people (31 women, 22 men) from four cities: Quito (Pichincha Province), Coca (Orellana Province), Ibarra (Imbabura Province) and Ambato (Tungurahua Province). A total of 23 CSOs were represented and the workshop was facilitated by Pablo Lumerman, international advocacy consultant contracted by Counterpart International. Strengthening CSOs Workshop - Quito, June 1

The main theme of this workshop was using collaborative advocacy tools and strategies. The participants performed a series of interactive and practical exercises to develop their understanding of collaborative advocacy, and to promote discussion and reflection on the issue. The testimony of a college student who participated in the workshop can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIxq8Wso0ZE

Workshop in Ibarra: Held on June 20, with the participation of 33 people (18 women, 15 men) representing 23 CSOs from six cities including Ibarra, Cotacachi, Chota, Salinas, and Atuntaqui (located in Imbabura Province). The testimony of one of the participants can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAcqsjppzH0

Strengthening CSOs Workshop - Ibarra, June 20

Workshop in Loja: Held on June 27, with the participation of 48 people (31 women, 17 men) in the Loja Province, representing 27 CSOs from five cities including Loja, Centinela del Condor, Zamora, Yantzaza, Chaguarpamba, and Malacatos. The testimony of one of the civil society representatives who participated in this workshop can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHZpZZyjFjI

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 21 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 Strengthening CSOs Workshop - Loja, June 27

Dissemination of Priority Issues for the Ethical Pact. During the process developed by PC in the first two years of the program to establish the Ethical Pact initiative and subsequent Democratic Citizen Agenda, key issues were identified for strengthening democracy. A key theme in all workshops was that of transparency and the need for the State to be its main promoter in all public actions, through institutions that function and ensure that all actions are within the limits of the law. In this quarter and continuing with the promotion of the issues identified in the Ethical Pact initiative, PC made a public call for transparency and the fight against corruption.

Taking into account the initiative of the new government to create an anti-corruption body, called the Transparency and Anti-Corruption Front12, PC prepared and disseminated a press bulletin to its contacts including the media. In this communiqué, PC highlighted the need for an independent watchdog in the fight against corruption where the State has no interference in its staffing or functioning. Additionally, PC questioned the selection processes implemented by the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council and supports the initiative to open a national dialogue on the subject of Anti-Corruption (Attachment 23 — Press Release). On the basis of this press release, PC was invited to present its views on radio and television media during June.

National Working Group. On May 4, 11 of the 15 members of the NWG met in the city of Quito to: (a) Analyze the electoral results and perspectives for the new government taking into account the economic, political and social context, (b) Analyze how to strengthen this group and its impact within the new political landscape, and (c) Select the theme for the last White Paper to be produced within the framework of the CSA program.

Regarding the strengthening of the NWG, this group considers it necessary to continue with the analysis of short-term issues, but to deepen the treatment of long-term issues that are relevant to the country, through mechanisms of reflection and analysis, such as the White Papers produced to date13. The participants agreed to seek support to strengthen this Group which seeks to become a sort of Democracy think tank. For this, the NWG considers necessary to access suitable training that has been relevant to similar groups. At this meeting, participants also exchanged views on working methodologies and successful experiences advanced by alike networks or coalitions in other countries. The members agreed to hold a subsequent meeting to design this training with the support of an expert.

Finally, due to the complex economic situation facing the country and given that this issue will be a priority for the new administration, the NWG members decided to focus the fifth White Paper on the national economy. In addition, the NWG appointed the economist Rodrigo Espinosa14, group member and specialist on the subject, to draft an initial version of this document, which will be put to the consideration of other members with knowledge and experience in this subject area.

12 http://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/2/presidente-moreno-se-reune-con-el-frente-de- transparencia-y-lucha-contra-la-corrupcion 13 (a) "Una Justicia Independiente y Eficiente Como Elemento Clave del Estado de Derecho” ("An Independent and Efficient Judiciary as a Key Element of the Rule of Law"), (b) “Legislación y Normativa Electoral” ("Electoral Legislation and Regulations"), (c) “La Participación Ciudadana en Ecuador” ("Public Participation in Ecuador"), and (d) “Estado de los Derechos Humanos en el Ecuador" ("The State of Human Rights in Ecuador") - 2016. 14 Rodrigo Espinosa is an economist by profession, who has held high public positions in the management of the country's economy. He was Minister of Finance in 1987 and Manager of the Central Bank in 1978. He is the current Chairman of the Board of Participación Ciudadana

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 22 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 Subsequently, this document will be presented to the plenary NWG for analysis and approval, prior to printing and dissemination to elected officials and public institutions.

Dissemination of the Democratic Citizen Agenda. At the end of the electoral period, after presenting and discussing the agenda with legislative candidates in the cities of Guayaquil, Quito, and Loja during the previous quarter, PC began an additional round of four events to disseminate the contents of the agenda and White Papers. These events will target key audiences such as the media, elected delegates, universities, and other CSOs. On June 28, PC hosted the first event in this new dissemination cycle, in the city of Loja with the participation of 10 individuals representing local media, opposition delegates and academy representatives. In addition, PC conducted two interviews with local media to broaden the dissemination of these initiatives to the public.

Participation of PC in Other Networks and Groups. During this quarter PC participated in five Convergence Board (MC) meetings (initiative led by ESQUEL), providing input for the discussion and promotion of topics of public interest from the experience of this civil society organization. At the meeting on April 19, PC presented its experience of the election observation and quick count, and received the support of the Convergence Board and its members in the face of the threatening situation it was going through.

At the meeting on May 18, PC presented to the MC members its position regarding the draft Code of Citizen Participation and Social Control and Decree 16, which it considers to be legislation that restrains freedom of association in the country as it includes discretionary provisions that affect the operations and existance of CSOs. PC emphasized the need for the Code proposal to be recalled and Executive Decree 16 to be repealed. Finally, with the objective of providing input to civil society in relation to preparing for dialogue processes, the PC Director participated as a speaker on the theme "The Role of CSOs" in the EsquelCLIC video-forum, which registered over 1,000 views on June 22. Ruth Hidalgo in the Esquel-Clic video-forum, June 22

"With Our Values in Order" Campaign. As in the previous quarter, PC took advantage of the post-electoral environment to continue to disseminate its communications products. In fact, given the situation PC found itself in after the announcement of the April 2 quick count results, the organization received a high level of attention from followers and citizens via its web page, online newsletter, and on social networks at the national level during and after the electoral process.

Several of the communication products that PC positioned on Facebook and Twitter focused on highlighting the contents and proposals of the Citizen Agenda to their direct followers on these networks, as well as other users through the interaction that these networks encourage when users share information with other users and visit the publications. Below are two examples of messages that, according to Facebook statistics, reached more than 1,400 people in June:

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 23 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

On average, PC posts news communication products at least twice a day. More than 50% of the messages and products published on the PC web page, electronic newsletter, and social networks correspond to what PC has generated within the framework of the activities of the CSA program, including the Ethical Pact initiative, and other program activities.

In this quarter, PC had 1,407 new followers on Facebook (Ethical Pact and PC organizational account) and 2,771 new followers on Twitter (across both accounts). The number of PC followers on YouTube increased by 9,393 views compared to the previous quarter, as did the PC website which had an additional 12,596 visits compared to the previous quarter. Details of PC presence on Instagram, Google+, Flickr, and LinkedIn can be found in Attachment 24. PC has been able to verify that it has followers in all 24 provinces of Ecuador, as well as other countries such as the United States, Peru, Mexico, and Spain.

Attachment 25 includes a compilation of the communication products that were used this quarter, as well as information on the events held, as well as testimonies from participants in the workshops and events.

Additionally, in terms of media presence, PC had more than 122 appearances, mentions, and/or interviews on radio, the printed press and on TV. This high number of appearances focused mainly on electoral issues due to PC's involvement in the observation and quick count during the second round of presidential elections, as well as the post-electoral phase, and the problems it had to face.

In 13 of these appearances and/or in interviews with various PC members, the media covered topics related to specific CSA program activities as well as issues related to the Ethical Pact such as Transparency and the Fight against Corruption and Rights of Association, among others. The main media interview this quarter was related to the promotion of Transparency and the Fight against Corruption, held on June 13 on the national TV channel Ecuavisa, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com / Watch? V = Nd2Zmqw7_Lc

For a complete detailed list of media coverage during the October-December period, please see Attachment 26.

Objective 3: Increased ability of CSOs to operate cohesively and effectively

Technical Assistance (TA): The 11 beneficiary CSOs received workshops on mainstreaming gender, the environment, and human rights approaches, with the aim of making these issues part of their organizational development plans and institutional policies. Prior to the workshops,

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 24 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 meetings were held with each of the 11 CSOs to identify specific needs that could be addressed in the workshops.

The methodology used included case studies and tools that facilitate the mainstreaming of these issues and their inclusion in organizational development plans. Three workshops were held: two in Quito on May 5 and 17 and one in Guayaquil on June 20 and had a total of 22 participants (9 men and 13 women). As a result of these workshops, a TA plan was developed for gender, the environment and human rights for each CSO. The TA will be provided during the months of July and August 2017.

In addition, the 11 beneficiary CSOs received Esquel's TA in the areas of communication for spokespeople and advocacy. The objective of this type of TA is to enhance the skills of the CSO representatives to address different audiences according to the activities of the organization and to present topics they want to focus on.

This TA was carried out through meetings with the representatives of the 11 beneficiary CSOs and five training workshops. The workshops were held in Guayaquil on May 16, 20, 21 and 27 and in Quito on May 23 and June 9. 57 people attended (15 men and 42 women).

The topics covered were: the construction of spokespeople at different levels, organizational spokespeople, joint spokespeople with other organizations, and political spokespeople. There was also a component called "Learning to Tell the Story" in which they worked on topics such as verbal and non-verbal communication and group work.

As a result of this activity, organizations have been able to identify how to properly convey messages according to the target audience — which is summarized in identifying what, how, when, and to whom the message is addressed — as well as learning about the fundamentals for speaking well and focusing on decision makers.

Development of Educommunicational Products: During this period the following products were developed:

- 12 instructional videos on topics from the "Building Sustainable Organizations" course - Five video-conferences — CLIC Forums, on the following topics:

o Tools for building advocacy coalitions through the use of dialogue and collaborative processes, presented by Pablo Lumerman, 1,266 views. o The importance of mainstreaming gender, human rights and the environment in CSOs, by Ana Isabel Giraldo and Karina Silva, 1,127 views o Citizen Participation and the role of CSOs, by Ruth Hidalgo (PC), 1,002 views o Non-Violent Pedagogical Tools, by Carmen Alcívar, from Comunidad para el Desarrollo Humano (Community for Human Development), 42 views. o Social Entrepreneurship in CSOs, delivered by Alicia Arias (CPI and REDWIM Women's Network), 1,340 views.

- Four CLIC web banners on International Women's Day and the International Day Against Homophobia - Updating the Esquel website - Social networks: Five memes, 26 publications on Facebook, 33 Twitter postings: @EsquelCLIC and @FEsquel.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 25 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 - Five transmissions on CLIC Inmediato. CLIC Inmediato are videos made on specific activities that are transmitted live. On this occasion CLIC Inmediato broadcasts were produced to support the activities of the organization Comunidad para el Desarrollo Humano, one of the 11 Esquel beneficiary CSOs. As a result of this work, the “Micro Aggressions — Macro Impacts” campaign was broadcast and a workshop was held for teachers on the formation of Councils for Non-Violence.

Attachment 27 contains the table with the specific description for each of the products mentioned.

One of the strategies for videoconferencing has been the creation of a network of experts to give lectures on different subjects of interest to the CSOs. These experts include Ruth Hidalgo, Executive Director of PC and Alicia Arias, Technical Lead for Counterpart International in Ecuador. This has enhanced mutual support among the CSA Project partner organizations.

Technical Assistance for Advocacy Projects: Currently, eight of the 11 beneficiary CSOs have completed their advocacy projects, and the remaining three organizations will finalize their projects in August 2017, after which Esquel will submit a final report with the results obtained by all CSOs.

Esquel continues to monitor and evaluate projects through regular meetings with CSOs whose results are recorded in the PMEP matrix. At the general level, the advocacy projects report progress according to the established schedules, highlighting the following:

TABLE 1: Main Results and Progress of Advocacy Projects

The advocacy project was finalized and as a result two manuals on access to justice were drawn up: one on "The process for victims of childhood sexual violence" and Peace and another on "The process for cases of intrafamily violence against women". 1248 copies Hope were distributed to victims of domestic violence, justice operators, human rights Foundation organizations, the Evangelical Diaconal Institutional Network, and the Human Mobility Board. The manuals have been presented via 11 media outlets including eight radio stations, one on television and one in print. Completed their advocacy work, the most relevant results of which are: (i) The creation of a model of care for adolescent female victims of people trafficking, in which their rights Wings of can be restored; and (ii) Building a relationship with the National System against People Trafficking to contribute to the creation of a National Unified Protocol for Victims of Colibri Trafficking. Foundation The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) supported the organization to print 100 additional copies, in order to reach a greater number of governmental entities linked to this issue. So far, actions have been taken to sensitize local government decision-makers to recognize the need to take action to address the problem of violence in public schools. Community for Meetings were held with Freddy Peñafiel, Minister of Education for the Formation of Non-Violence Councils, and with Giovany Pazmiño of the Metropolitan Council for the Human Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents (COMPINA). Development In addition, they have worked with Federico Gauss College, Sucre Technical College and the Universidad San Francisco on training workshops, awareness campaigns and validation of the methodology proposed for the intervention model. Woman and The project was presented at the Academic Forum of Latin American Universities that was held in May 2017 in Argentina and was very well received. In addition, with the goal Woman of boosting the economic empowerment of LGBTI populations, partnerships with public

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 26 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 institutions such as the National Public Procurement Service (SERCOP), the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) and the Institute for Popular and Solidarity Economy (IEPS) have been formed. The organization deployed a training process with 40 young people from the Alianza Samborondón canton who created the Anti-Drug Brigade. The awarenesscampaign has Igualitaria reached a total of approximately 400 young people in the Samborondón canton. Aliance for The Brigade developed an ordinance proposal for the Samborondón canton to influence Equality the mechanisms and corrective actions that are applied to young people who are detained for consumption or possession of drugs. Attachment 28: Ordinance Proposal

On June 5, 2017, Counterpart and Esquel organized a workshop on "Collaborative Advocacy" for beneficiary organizations in the cities of Quito, Salinas, and Guayaquil, with the objective of strengthening their capacity for advocacy in the projects they have been implementing. 25 people from 15 CSOs attended the workshop (10 men and 15 women). The workshop was delivered by the expert Pablo Lumerman, who in addition to explaining the different tools for advocacy processes, presented options for solutions to the obstacles presented by participants in their advocacy projects.

Collaborative Advocacy Workshop - June 5, 2017

Technical Assistance in Financial Sustainability: Esquel provided technical assistance for the sustainability plans of the 11 beneficiary CSOs. The mentoring process was complemented by the delivery of a mapping of potential donors for the proposals of the organizations. The mapping was prepared by Esquel and is included in Attachment 29.

Organizations have developed sustainability proposals based on two types of actions: (1) Business ventures connected with the work of the organization with the purpose of generating revenue that are reinvested in the same organization and (2) Social projects in need of financing. The specific results for these activities will be presented in the next report

To facilitate the execution of sustainability activities, Esquel held a workshop on the development of business plans and projects. The workshop was held in Quito and Guayaquil, on April 6, 7, 17 and 19, 2017, and was attended by 18 people (4 men and 16 women).

In addition, the following online course was offered, made up of three modules: "Building sustainable organizations: Design, execution and evaluation of social projects". The course focused on sustainability through capacity building for CSOs to formulate sustainable projects with those participating in international calls for proposals. The course had 48 participants (16 men and 32 women) from five cities in the country, representing 34 CSOs. The table below

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 27 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 shows the breakdown of participants and CSOs:

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 28 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

TABLE 2: PARTICIPANTS FROM THE ONLINE COURSE "BUILDING SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATIONS: DESIGN, EXECUTION AND EVALUATION OF SOCIAL PROJECTS".

People Men Women CSO Quito 22 6 16 17 Guayaquil 21 9 12 14 Manta 2 1 1 1 Portoviejo 1 0 1 1 Santo Domingo 2 0 2 1 TOTAL 48 16 32 34

The results of the course are being evaluated and, the pre and post test data and the results of the application of the peer review will be included in the following report.

Among the main results obtained in the area of sustainability are the following:

• The Alianza Igualitaria Foundation won a sub-grant from Freedom House to work on promoting the rights of gender sex diversity.

• The Alas de Colibrí Foundation has been able to obtain funding from the US Embassy to work for the restitution of the rights of young people rescued from people trafficking.

• The Paz y Esperanza Foundation obtained funds from the Christian Evangelical Church to support victims of natural disasters and especially women in the border area with Peru.

Legal Technical Assistance: To provide this type of assistance, a legal section was designed within the EsquelCLIC computer platform. The platform is easy for CSOs to use and the legal section contains 4 components: (1) Online Courses, (2) Network of Legal Experts, (3) Frequently Asked Questions and, (4) Legal Consultations.

1. Online Courses: This section will contain online courses on legal topics. It will include both the courses already developed by Esquel in PY2 and PY3, as well as new courses that will be created this year. Within this section, the "Law for Non-Lawyers" course will also be included, which was well received the previous year.

2. Network of Legal Experts: This section will include a list of legal experts available to handle queries, classified according to their area of expertise. Each expert will include their contact details, resume, and a video explaining their professional experience.

3. Frequently Asked Questions: This section will include legal questions frequently asked by CSOs. In addition, questions will be linked to videos and online courses on the relevant subject.

4. Legal Consultations: This area will include a form for CSOs to provide information on the subject they require consultation on, which will be addressed by legal counsel. The resolution time for the consultation will depend on the degree of difficulty, but will not exceed one week.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 29 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017

Convergence Board (MC): In June 2017, two meetings were held with the objective of analyzing the possibilities for participation in the dialogue process initiated by President Lenin Moreno. As a result of these meetings, the MC has decided to develop an advocacy strategy to build a bridge connecting government and citizenship on specific issues. One of the main strategy action was the delivery of a letter to the President requesting that the MC be added to the actors who will participate in the national dialogue.

On June 1, 2017, a meeting was held to discuss the topic of collaborative advocacy and generate strategies to strengthen the work of the MC. The Counterpart team and the consultant Pablo Lumerman were invited to the meeting, with the latter making recommendations for coordinating the relationship between the MC members. In addition, the decision was made to hold a workshop to develop the MC operational plan as well as to design coordination processes with other actors. IV. Monitoring and Evaluation

The attached table from the monitoring and evaluation plan includes the indicators and results corresponding to the implementation of PY3’s third quarter of the CSA Program (Attachment 30). Some of the indicators reached during this quarter include:

• CCI 1 - Number of People Trained. A total of 392 individuals (209 women and 183 men) were trained through Counterpart’s and partners’ training activities implemented this period. This includes CPI’s 2-day advocacy workshop for partners’ technical teams (13 women and 7 men). Partners’ training activities include FARO’s Risk Management workshops for municipal officials (South Region provinces workshop 11 women and 28, and Amazonian Region provinces workshop 3 women and 19 men), and Strategic Communication workshop (28 women and 12 men). PC’s CSO strengthening workshops in Guayaquil, Quito, Ibarra, and Loja (137 women and 106 men). Esquel’s various trainings on financial sustainability, gender mainstreaming, and communications related themes designed last QT (17 women and 11 men – only new participants included in this figure). • CCI 2 – Number of Networks Strengthened. Three networks were assisted this period. The CEOSC network continued to be strengthened this period through the process of facilitating and advocacy session to CEOSC members to define strategies for promoting legislation to enhance the enabling environment for CSOs. In addition, Esquel continued to strengthen the Guayas LGBTI network through regular TA and training activities to its members. Esquel's beneficiary CSO Alas de Colibri provided asssitance to the network "National Anti-TIP Network” through the design of a protocol for the provision of services to VOTs. • CCI 3 - Number of CSOs, Social Organizations, and Government Agencies assisted. A total of 210 organizations were assisted this period. This included 48 municipalities and 4 CSOs attending Innovacción Training program’s activities (2 workshops on risk management and 1 workshop on strategic communications). Seven universities and 2 private sector organizations attending FARO-Ecuador Decide’s workshop to analyze and define indicators for the monitoring of the GOE performance and policies on key sectors. Also, one additional CSO and 1 municipality that participated at the mid-term workshop for Change Projects; and 35 CSOs participating at CEOSC’s annual meeting for the discussion of various themes, including advocacy strategies for promoting CSO legislation. PC assisted approximately 98 CSOs whose representatives participated at 4 workshops on capacity building on citizen participation and advocacy related themes. Finally, in addition to their beneficiary CSOs,

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 30 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 Esquel assisted 14 additional local CSOs which participated in selected training and TA activities throughout this period.

V. Accomplishments

The main accomplishments of each social organization in relation to the program objectives include:

Objective 1

In the post-election period, FARO has made various achievements, including:

• The Change Projects have GADs and CSOs working together to implement public policies with mechanisms of citizen participation and accountability. Public performance reporting events are backed by local authorities and have their commitment for future sustainability. • Development of the reform proposal for the Democracy Code and joint meetings with the CNE to complement the proposals of both institutions and present them to the National Assembly. • Consortium formed to follow up on presidential campaign promises "From Words to Action" with 12 members including: universities, international allies, CSOs and the private sector. In addition, the methodological proposal to establish and monitor indicators has been developed in three sectors: education, anti-corruption and employment.

Objective 2

• The main achievement of PC in this period was capacity building with more than 240 people from 25 cities throughout the country, on key issues to promote more effective citizen participation and political advocacy on subjects of citizen interest. Participants included representatives from 140 CSOs and grassroots organizations as well as universities. The creation of easy-to-understand training material and relevant and up-to-date content for each of the topics was a further result achieved by PC in this quarter.

Objective 3.

• Esquel's main achievements in this period are the small grants made by international sources to three of the beneficiary organizations, which will enable these organizations to develop additional initiatives to promote the rights of the LGBTI population, support victims of trafficking, and support female victims of natural disasters.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 31 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 VI. Best Practices and Challenges

Particular best practices and challenges identified under the program components are as follows:

Objective 1 • Best practice. The activities carried out in the previous period on the "Informed Vote" have generated a series of meetings with the CNE, NDI and the Latin America Think Tank Initiative to share experiences and analyze the implementation of similar activities in future electoral processes. The process was a rewarding experience for all those involved and tools were developed that may be suitable for the local authority electoral processes in 2019. FARO has consolidated a model of citizen participation in the electoral process that is innovative. In addition, elements have been identified that need to be updated in order to obtain the political will of the candidates to participate actively with clear and informed proposals in the forthcoming elections. • Challenge. The strength of the proposed reform to the Democracy Code is based on the analysis and exchange of experiences with international experts who have already participated in electoral change processes. However, it will be a challenge to convince the CNE to incorporate this proposal into the comprehensive proposal that this institution has already developed. One of the main challenges is to advocate with evidences to proof the CNE that the qualility of democracy improves if the right to be well informed goes beyond the simple promise of a campaign plan and the importance of the citizens' right to have proposals submitted by political parties debated, This effort to advocate for these changes will involve strong coordination with the CNE, political parties and the public.

Objective 2 • Challenge. The biggest threat facing PC this quarter was their potential closure, as well as safety concerns for members of its organization, due to the discontent of political actors including government officials, after PC declared a "technical tie" as a result of the second round of elections. • Best practice. In response to this situation, PC had to define immediate crisis response strategies both within the organization and to external actors. This included communication strategies at the national and international level, legal preparation, and action taken to improve security. During this period of approximately five weeks, PC members' individual strengths and capacity to cope with the situation were tested. This in turn strengthened the organization's internal cohesion as well as the motivation to resume its activities and implement the various activities related to the CSA program and other institutional projects, all within a limited time frame. In addition, PC strengthened support ties and solidarity with international and national organizations, which benefited joint work with these organizations and networks, especially with that of the Convergence Board, led by Esquel.

Objective 3 • Best practice. The continuous review and updating of the EsquelCLIC virtual platform has allowed the organization to have a very versatile virtual technical assistance program adapted to the needs of CSOs. Participants come from diverse organizations and the platform consists of several interaction mechanisms, such as: forums, video-conferences, chats, videos on specific topics, courses and publications of interest. The number of participants in these spaces is increasing and the topics presented are increasingly diverse. In the coming months, the EsquelCLIC virtual platform will provide legal assistance to CSOs through courses and consultations with experts in the area, which will increase the number of users and, via an

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 32 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017 innovative approach in the use of ICT tools, will position the EsquelCLIC brand while at the same time address a key area for CSOs — legal concerns. • Challenge. Upon completion of the TA to the 11 beneficiary CSOs, Esquel faces the challenge of effectively closing its intervention. This process will include the following activities: - Systematize the tools and methodologies developed for TA in each of the areas of action. - Closing process for TA with each of the beneficiary CSOs, whilst maintaining contact and trusted relationships generated. - Carry out the evaluation of each of the beneficiary CSOs by comparing the results of the organizational development process. - Identify the lessons learned in the process and share them with both CSO beneficiaries and other CSO networks interested in organizational development.

VII. Expenses

As of June 30, 2017, the total of incurred expenses was USD $2,778,104.92.

VIII. Next Quarter Priorities

Objective 1 • Close the eight Change Projects • Conclude the third edition of the Innovacción Program • Produce and distribute newsletter No. 4 • Develop the four new training modules. • Disseminate and analyze the draft Organic Law for CSOs. • Present the proposal for reform of the Democracy Code to the National Assembly, either through the National Electoral Council or the Executive. • Systematize recommendations on the transition process • Monitor and Follow-Up on the Observatory - Consortium • Adequacy of the Platform, developed by Ciudadano Inteligente to be used in Ecuador by FARO through the project Ecuador Decide and integration of information. Objective 2 • Produce the first draft of the White Paper on National Economy • Conduct two CSO strengthening workshops on issues of citizen participation, advocacy, communication strategies, and partnership rights in Tena and Machala. • Organize three dialogue events for presentation and discussion of the Citizen Agenda and the White Papers in Tena, Machala and Ibarra • Carry out preparatory actions and planning meetings for new reforms and adjustments to the Code of Democracy.

Objective 3 ● Complete the execution of the Advocacy Projects and prepare the final results report. ● Continue the TA processes organized for each CSO: social marketing and human resources ● Finalize the follow-up for the sustainability plans until July ● Generate a working model for the Technical Secretariat of the Convergence Board. ● Generate agreements aimed at identifying the issues which will promote national agreements. ● Design strategic guidelines for work plans aimed at consolidating the Convergence Board and thematic round tables.

Ecuador Civil Society Assistance Program 33 AID-OAA-LA-14-00011 Quarterly Report 11, April – June, 2017