This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from a U4 Partner Agency. The U4 Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International in collaboration with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre based at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.
Query
Please provide an overview of Ecuador’s anti-corruption framework, with a focus on preventive measures and corruption risk management in public administration.
Summary
Global indicators, surveys and recent high-level cases point to pronounced risks of corruption in Ecuador’s public administration. International bodies such as the OECD have recommended that the government undertake a more preventive, risk-based approach to anti-corruption and enhance coordination across institutional actors. In 2024, Ecuador adopted a new national public integrity policy and a national plan for public integrity and the fight against corruption, which contain commitments on enhanced corruption risk management. However, their implementation has not yet been subject to any comprehensive assessment.
Main points
- Global indicators, surveys and recent high-level cases point to pronounced risks of corruption in Ecuador’s public administration.
- In recent years, anti-corruption efforts have shifted from a sole focus on punitive sanctioning to new emphasis on preventive measures that public administration bodies in the country are now mandated to undertake. These measures include integrity promotion and corruption risk management, both internally within these bodies, but also at a cross-sectoral level.
- This is especially visible in the national public integrity policy and a national plan for public integrity and the fight against corruption. However, these were adopted only in 2024 so their implementation has not yet been subjected to any comprehensive assessment.
- Assessments of the national anti-corruption framework by OECD and civil society actors have identified barriers to the effective implementation of previous anti-corruption strategies.
- These barriers include coordination challenges across institutional actors, overlapping responsibilities and at times political tensions across the five branches of government. Moreover, even where political will has led to the adoption of ambitious plans and strategies, frequent changes to both leadership and institutions have undermined the implementation and continuity of the anti-corruption agenda.
- Furthermore, Ecuador’s anti-corruption framework is extensive but fragmented. The rules and obligations applicable to public administration bodies and their officials are spread across an increasing number of instruments and policy documents.
- Some of the challenges around coordination and continuity in anti-corruption more generally have been acknowledged by the Ecuadorian government.
- The OECD has identified various best practices from the Latin American region. These include: the establishment of national integrity systems with coordination overseen by one institutional actor; the integration of permanent technical experts in public administration entities to ensure continuity; and the adoption of innovative approaches to enhance corruption risk management.
Authors
Michiel van Hulten, Jamie Bergin
Reviewed by
Matthew Jenkins and Juan Pablo Cadena (TI)
Guillaume Nicaise (U4)
Karen Hussmann
Date
05/09/2025
