[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1134, 286], "category": "Text", "text": "The Spotlight Initiative provided a unique and unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate that a significant, concerted and comprehensive investment in gender equality can make a transformative difference in the lives of women and girls, as well as contribute to the achievement of all the SDGs. This evidence based on result of the Spotlight Initiative I, made visible that this type of major intervention can catalyse others to similarly invest in gender equality."}, {"bbox": [96, 297, 1134, 458], "category": "Text", "text": "In Ecuador, the Spotlight Initiative ran between November 2020 and September 2022. It focused on the implementation of the Comprehensive General Law to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women (LOIPEVCM). The most important results achieved were: the creation of tools for the effectiveness of public policy on violence against women; legislative proposals to reform relevant regulations; a national communication campaign for gender based violence prevention; work methodologies on new masculinities; education and awareness materials culturally adapted for Afro-descendant and indigenous women; strengthening of civil society organizations."}, {"bbox": [96, 468, 1134, 575], "category": "Text", "text": "The second phase is intended to provide renewed investment in, and commitment to, gender equality and women's empowerment as a pre-condition and driver for the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And it will keep the same mutually-reinforcing programming six pillars: (a) Laws and Policies, (b) Institutions, (c) Prevention, (d) Services, (e) Data, and (f) Women's Movements."}, {"bbox": [96, 587, 1134, 854], "category": "Text", "text": "The action will achieve this objectives by supporting and strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs), feminism activists and human-rights defenders working on critical gender rights and issues. It will also cover, the implementation of the LOIPEVCM at local level, filling the technical gap in local government where relevant. A special focus will be given to the implementation of the Single Registry of Violence (RUV), to carry out pilots of the operation and maintain free, accessible and reliable data on femicide and violence, which are necessary to activate the early warning system. One of the findings by the Spotlight Initiative I, was the crucial role that the foster houses' network plays in the country. Spotlight II for Ecuador will strengthen the network capacity in its role of national counsellor of foster houses and local government protection system. The relation with the Civil Society National Group of Reference will be crucial in order to monitor the work and to address the needs of intervention and public advocacy."}, {"bbox": [96, 865, 1134, 999], "category": "Text", "text": "This action will mainly be implemented by UN Women as leader agency of the system on gender and gender violence, so as to: (i) better respond to the country-specific gender contexts; (ii) be as close as possible to the needs of the rights holders; and (iii) promote a sense of 'ownership' of the action among local actors. However in order to brand the action as Spotlight Initiative will require at least 2 implementing recipient RUNOs. Discussion with UNRC about which agencies will implement spotlight 2.0 is ongoing."}, {"bbox": [85, 1039, 323, 1072], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 1104, 235, 1132], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [96, 1151, 531, 1179], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Regulatory reforms and electoral challenges"}, {"bbox": [96, 1189, 1134, 1483], "category": "Text", "text": "On 22 January 2020, the National Assembly of Ecuador adopted an extensive reform of the Council of Democracy, the law governing the holding of electoral processes in Ecuador. The reform affected 180 articles, almost half of the total, governing key aspects of the process, such as the distribution of scan in the National Assembly, the type of lists (from open to close) and the quotas of candidates to be included in their lists by the political organisations, among the relevant aspects. Under the reform, as of the February 2021 elections, citizens had to cast their vote for a list or list in multi-member elections. Furthermore, in terms of quotas, 15% of the lists had to be headed by women and at least 25% of the candidates had to have between 18 and 29 each. The percentage of women should be as high as 30% in the 2023 local elections and 50% in the 2025 legislatures. In 2025, all presidential bionomes must be made up of a man and a woman. Other relevant reforms include the allocation of funds equally to all candidates, with an additional 20% for alliances, and the holding of mandatory electoral debates for all positions, from local to national level, including candidates for mayors and prefects, parliament and president."}, {"bbox": [96, 1494, 1134, 1601], "category": "Text", "text": "The scale of the reforms has made it necessary to update procedures, adopt regulations and take steps to provide information not only to the National Electoral Council (CNE), but to the Electoral Tribunal, which in March 2020 adopted its Rules of Procedure to ensure timely electoral justice and legal security, as well as effective judicial protection."}, {"bbox": [1037, 1680, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 32"}]