Ecuador
Ecuador ranks among the top ten megadiverse countries globally. Its culturally rich and diverse population inhabits Amazon rainforests, Andean paramos and cloud forests, Pacific coasts, and the Galapagos Islands. Despite its middle-income country status, Ecuador faces significant socio-economic and regional disparities. As a result, Ecuador is facing growing citizen insecurity, increasing irregular migration, poor service delivery and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas, loss of biodiversity due to illegal activities and unsustainable economic operations, and a high vulnerability to natural disasters exacerbated by climate change.
To respond to these challenges USAID Ecuador’s development priorities include rebuilding democratic structures, building capacity for citizen-centered governance, enhancing citizen security, combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, creating conditions for accelerated economic growth through private sector engagement, endorsing the socioeconomic integration of migrants and their host communities , promoting entrepreneurship, and women’s economic empowerment.
USAID believes in Ecuador’s potential to be an example of locally led, inclusive and innovative sustainable development, and partners with the Government of Ecuador, civil society, academia, and historically marginalized stakeholders—including youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQIA+, persons with disabilities, Montubios, and Afro-descendants to address its development challenges.