81306518-Development of instruments for the improvement of transparency, integrity and public services in Ecuador

Sincero II Program - Good Governance for an Ecuador with Transparency and Integrity CONTEXT Building citizen trust in the decisions made by public and private entities is crucial for reinforcing good governance, fostering social cohesion, and advancing democracy within nations. Data collected from the Latinobarometer 2021 and Corruption Barometer 2022 reveals that the Ecuadorian population is lacking confidence in its institutions, both public and private, thereby impacting the governance of the country. On the other hand, in a world where social dynamics need to adapt to the rapid growth of data and technological innovations, governments must create new tools or update existing ones in order to provide greater transparency and efficiency in public actions for the benefit of citizens. At the same time, there is a focus on promoting increased equity and participation to better connect with people's needs. The new governance models aim to place citizens at the core of politics and public administration, ensuring that public decision-making is attentive to meeting their expectations and requirements. FOCUS SinCero II addresses key issues such as: strengthening public services, improving regulatory quality and management processes, citizen participation and promoting public awareness of key concepts such as public and private integrity, transparency, accountability and Open State. OBJECTIVE The SinCero II Program - Good Governance for an Ecuador with Transparency and Integrity aims to improve governance in terms of transparency, integrity and citizen participation. TERRITORIAL SCOPE SinCero II is a national program, however, it has a territorial focus and therefore will prioritize work in 8 different territories in the country. ACTORS SinCero II provides technical assistance to counterparts and partners from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society organizations. LINES OF ACTION 1. Strengthening and improvement of public services - The aim is to enhance the quality of selected public services with high citizen demand and impact on the business climate, in order to improve their efficiency, transparency and integrity. Likewise, tools are proposed to improve the measurement of service quality so that public actors can make policy decisions based on reliable information constructed with active citizen participation. 2. Public and private integrity mechanisms - The intention here is to develop instruments that contribute to the implementation of public integrity tools that actively strengthen risk management, transparency, management efficiency, public accountability, among others. Support will be provided especially to state entities that develop integrity and anti-corruption strategies, as well as to business organizations that seek to improve their compliance, due diligence and private integrity mechanisms to contribute to achieve optimal levels of reputation in the sector. 3. Open State, Accountability and Citizen Participation - The generation of instruments that promote transparency and access to information, accountability, citizen participation and facilitate the implementation of an integrity system in Ecuador is at the center of this component. It also seeks to implement innovative digital solutions that strengthen transparency and participation, and thus aim to contribute to Ecuador's digital transformation agenda. 4. Capacity building - The aim of this component is to promote capacity building of counterparts and partners based on the experience of the previous program: Ecuador SinCero. The capacity building measures have played a crucial role in fostering a clearer grasp of essential concepts in Ecuador. Within SinCero II, there will be an emphasis on the topic of public services, and an in-depth exploration of the conceptual framework surrounding public and private integrity, Open State, transparency, citizen participation, accountability, and innovation.