• Children in white shirts sit at green desks in a classroom. The students have thick white books on their desks and are holding pencils.

    Strengthening Local Capacities for Peace and Development through a Human Security Approach in the Northern Border Zone of Ecuador

    Duration: October 2013 - March 2017
    Budget: US$3,374,413
    Implementing Agencies: UNDP(lead), UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNESCO, WFP

    In recent years, security along Ecuador’s border with Colombia has become increasingly complex. While Colombia has made significant progress in reducing conflict, some illegal armed groups and criminal networks have shifted their activities to border regions, occasionally crossing into Ecuador. As a result, the northern provinces of Esmeraldas and Sucumbíos have experienced higher levels of crime and armed violence. Issues such as youth recruitment into illegal groups, human trafficking, and the illicit trade of drugs and weapons have intensified, further straining communities already facing economic and social challenges. For many years, northern Ecuador has grappled with poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and limited access to essential services such as health care and education. Additionally, land use disputes between Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian communities have contributed to tensions in the region.
     

     

     
  • A man stands at the front of a canoe in a vast river and is holding up his identity card to the camera. Behind him are several people sitting in his canoe, all facing the camera.

    Integrated Approach for the Protection of Vulnerable Populations Affected by the Colombian Conflict on Ecuador’s Northern Border

    Duration: May 2006 - April 2009
    Budget: US$1,914,219
    Implementing Agencies: UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR

    The goal of the programme was to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable populations, namely Ecuadorian and Colombian children, adolescents, and their families living in Ecuador’s Northern Border region. As a result, existing legal frameworks and available protection and empowerment mechanisms were strengthened for refugees, unaccompanied children and host communities with little access to basic social services.