Press Release
Credits UNDP Ecuador SDG Financing launch event
Published on February 12, 2021

Financing SDGs in Ecuador and targeting chronic child malnutrition


Ecuador faces a scenario that involves substantial economic challenges, a weak alignment among national planning and budget with SDGs, an absence of an estimated gap between SDGs financing needs and public and private resources allocated for this purpose, and a lack effectivity of chronic child malnutrition reduction policies. In this context, this program, which outputs are directly aligned to SDGs 17, 2 and 1, aims to promote a financial environment to accelerate SDGs country´s adoption and reinforce diminishing chronic child malnutrition national policies.

 

Joint Programme Objectives

This JP aims to establish a financing architecture to accelerate SDGs country´s adoption, focused on supporting chronic child malnutrition reduction policies. It involves designing an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), implementing this INFF to support chronic child malnutrition policies, and making a scaling-up proposal of replicating this specific exercise to other prioritizing policies larger multiplying effects on SDGs.  Additionally, inclusive dialogue and coordination mechanisms will be implemented, bolstering the informed participation of women in the discussion and decision-making processes. These dialogue platforms will be multi-actor and multi-level to “leave no one behind”. 

 

Launch Event

Primary target group of this event included national authorities of public institutions which are partners such as: Vice President´s office, Plan Toda una Vida Technical Secretariat, Planifica Ecuador Technical Secretariat, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Public Health. Another secondary target group included authorities from other public institutions, local governments, IFIs, private sector, academia, and civil society organizations which alliances are strategic for the program objectives. There were more than 50 assistants to the event.

United Nations Resident Coordinator, Lena Savelli stressed that under COVID 19 pandemic, some interconnected social issues such as gender inequity, climate change, and chronic child malnutrition have emerged. Therefore, impact actions to face these problems require coordination among actors and solutions under a strategic framework.

“This program is focused on catalyzing public as private resources to financing SDGs even more in the actual pandemic context and the intense needs to financing other development dimensions,” said Matilde Mordt, UNDP Representative.

“Strenghtening an integrated mechanism to finance reduction of chronic child malnutrition will give country economic and social benefits and will create conditions to move forward to equity and sustainable development for existing and forthcoming generations” said Joaquín González Alemán, Unicef Representative.

Similarly, Mario Touchette, WFP Representative, emphasized the two main aspects on which this agency will work under this program´s framework. The first one is providing technical assistance to identify tools that encourage private agents to provide products and services that are gender sensible and linked to diminishing chronic child malnutrition. The second one is bolstering national and local dialogues to promote equal participation among men and women regarding to reducing chronic child malnutrition.

Rodrigo López, Budget Undersecretary of Economic and Finance Ministry, highlighted that the designing of INFF is essential not only for chronic child malnutrition reduction policies but also for the whole sustainable development. In the same way, López said, “this project is relevant for Ecuador because it improves the current resources management and integrates new private resources to prioritized public policy which have a multiplier effect on SDGs.

Finally, Isabel Maldonado, Technical Secretary of Plan Toda una Vida Technical Secretariat, pointed out that the program´s contribution has relevance from the sustainability approach and social engagement. Specifically, Maldonado said, “the second program´s outcome will efficiently contribute to maintaining previously implemented process by the national government.