Ecuador

Mr. José Manuel Hermida (Entry on duty: 09/08 in replacement of Mr. Rene Mauricio Valdes, RC-Ecuador from Sept.03 to Aug.08. Mr. José Hermida was previously RC of Costa Rica)

Address: Av. Amazonas no. 2889 entre av. Mariana de Jesús y La Granja, P.O. Box 1703-4731, Quito - Ecuador

Tel: (+593-2) 246-0330 / Fax: (+593-2) 246-1960/1

E-mail: jose.manuel.hermida@undp.org / registry.ec@undp.org

Risk Management Technical Secretariat

(Secretaría Técnica de Gestión de Riesgos)

Under the direction of the Ministry for Coordination of Internal and External Security, and by executive decree #1046-A, National Civil Defense is now part of the newly created Risk Management Technical Secretariat as of May 2008.

Ecuatorian International Cooperation Agency (AGECI)

(Agencia Ecuatoriana de Cooperación Internacional - AGECI)

Appointed by the National Secretary of Development and Planning (Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo -SENPLADES) on January 1, 2008; AGECI replaces the previously known INECI - Ecuatorian International Cooperation Institute and is responsible for carrying out, evaluating and providing follow-up to non-reimbursable international cooperation projects.

Address: Ave. 6 de Diciembre N31-89 y Alpallana. Quito

Tel: (593-2) 255-9755, 222-3661

Note: AGECI's International Cooperation Unit, responsible for liaison and coordination with foreing governments and AGECI, is within the General Coordination Office of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Commerce and Integration.

PAHO/WHO Field Office

Contact person: Dr. Jorge Luis Prosperi, PAHO/WHO Representative

Address: Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana, Av. Amazonas 2889 y Mariana de Jesús Quito, Ecuador / Apartado Postal 17-07-8982, Quito, Ecuador

Phone: (+593-2)2460-330/2460-332/2460-296/2460-215 / Fax: 2460-325

E-mail: dvictoria@ecu.ops-oms.org

Website: [hppt://www.opsecu.org.ec www.opsecu.org.ec]

Ecuadorian Civil Defense:

Address: Amazonas y Villalengua Esq. Primer Piso, Quito, Ecuador.

Phone:(+593-2) 2439-918/2449-682/2258-964 / Fax: (+593-2)2439-918

E-mail: [dndcecuador@defensacivil.gov.ec dndcecuador@defensacivil.gov.ec]

Website:www.defensacivil.gov.ec/index.html

National Secretariat of Planning and Development (SENPLADES)

Address: Benalcázar 679 y Chile, Edificio La Unión, 4to piso, Quito, Provincia de Pichincha

Phone: (+593-2) 295-0399/258-0737 / Fax: (+593-2) 258-0575

E-mail: senplades@presidencia.gov.ec

Website: www.presidencia.gov.ec/modulos

Ministry of Public Health

Address: Planta Central, Quito, Ecuador

Phone: (+5932) 297-2900 Ext:2841 / Fax: (+5932) 256-9786

E-mail: despacho@msp.gov.ec

Website: www.msp.gov.ec/

Ministry of Environment

Address: Avenida Eloy Alfaro y Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador

Phone: (+593)-2-2563429 / 2563430

E-mail: mma@ambiente.gov.ec

Website: www.ambiente.gov.ec/

Geophysical Institute of Ecuador

Address: Campus Ing. José Rubén Orellana, Apartado 2759, Quito (

Phone: (+593-2) 256-7847

Website: www.igepn.edu.ec

Country Profile

Official Name: Republic of Ecuador

Capital: Quito

Population: 13,755,680 (July 2007 est.)

Area: 283,560 sq km

Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Language: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Government: Republic

Currency: US Dollar

According to the World Bank’s Natural Disaster Hotspot study, Ecuador ranks 18th among countries with the highest economic risk exposure to three or more hazards. 66% of the population lives in urban areas and 96% of this population lives in the coastal and mountainous regions, exposed to seismic, volcanic, flood, landslide, and El Niño hazards. Floods and landslides occur frequently and affect the population as well as the productive sectors.

Earthquakes are seen as the most destructive natural phenomena facing Ecuador in terms of loss of life (based on research by Demoraes and D‟Ercole, 2001). Landslides, land upheavals, river flooding, tidal waves and crevasses resulting from earthquakes have been responsible for significant material losses. In recent years, the largest earthquake registered was in August 1998 with an epicenter in Bahía de Caráquez in Manabi Province. The earthquake, with an intensity of 6.9 MM (Modified Mercalli scale), did not claim any victims but damaged the infrastructure of this coastal city. Volcanic eruptions also have high destructive potential. Ecuador has 32 volcanoes, of which 13 are considered active. These volcanoes are located mainly in the northern and central mountainous regions, where eruptions are responsible for material losses including loss of crops, livestock, damage or destruction of homes and infrastructure. Volcanic activity in Ecuador is frequent; there were two relatively contained eruptions in 1999 of the Guagua Pichincha volcano and Tungurahua which caused significant ash fall, lahars3, pyroclastic flows and tremors. Another eruption of the Reventador volcano in March 2002 caused significant ash fall in Napo and Pichincha provinces. Since 1999, Tungurahua has presented nearly constant activity, though this has been mainly limited to eruptions of ash which has damaged crops in surrounding regions. Floods are a frequent occurrence in Ecuador. In recent years, El Niño weather alterations and changes in the flow of the coastal and Amazon Rivers have been responsible for more frequent flooding. Another recurring problem in Ecuador is landslides and mudslides. These are caused by the presence of steep inclines which are easily rendered unstable by rains, earthquakes or the misuse of the soil. Increased rainfall associated with El Niño has also been responsible for more frequent landslides. One of the most destructive landslides took place in 1993 in Cerro Tahual in Azuay province, causing the blockage of the Paute river, leading to the deaths of 50 people and estimated damage of over $140 million.

(Source: Calero, C., R. Maldonado and A. Molina (2009) “Risk, Natural Disasters and Poverty in Latin America: Case Study - Ecuador”, Research for Public Policy, MDGs and Poverty, MDG-10-2009, RBLAC-UNDP, New York)

Ecuador’s current institutional and policy situation is very favorable for structural changes in the area of disaster risk management. The new Constitution includes specific aspects of disaster risk management such as the creation of the Technical Secretariat of Risk Management that replaced Civil Defense and the initiation of the new Decentralized National System of Risk Management. The results achieved through this process during subsequent years will determine the long-term disaster risk management conditions in the country.

Ecuador faces very important challenges to reduce its seismic and volcanic vulnerability. These two phenomena constitute the highest risks for Ecuador and the accumulated vulnerability over decades is very high. The reduction and management of these risks will require important changes in urban regulation, building codes and regulations, critical investments in structural reinforcements, and territorial planning in areas exposed to the volcanic phenomenon.

The revision and strengthening of the territorial planning system in Ecuador is essential to effectively reduce underlying hazards and related risks. The territorial planning system in Ecuador requires the integration of disaster risk reduction criteria into the policies, strategies, mechanisms and instruments of the planning institutions. Improved technical capacity, information generation, and development of methodological instruments are critical elements to facilitate this process.

Capacity building of local governments is a necessary condition for consolidating and effectively implementing Ecuador’s disaster risk management system. Because of the decentralized nature of the new ‘Decentralized’ National System of Risk Management, the provinces, districts, and parishes should assume the responsibilities for management and control of risks in their respective territories.

According to GFDRR's Country Program for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation 2009-2011, given Ecuador’s disaster risk profile and its existing framework for disaster risk management, the key priority in Ecuador is to continue to build institutional capacity and ensure long-term vulnerability reduction at local levels. Strategic actions are needed in the following areas to enhance disaster risk management in Ecuador: (i) identification and monitoring of risks, (ii) reduce vulnerabilities at the local level, and (iii) strengthen institutional capacity for strategic planning and coordination at national and local levels.

(Source: GFDRR's Country Program for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation 2009-2011, Summary notes - Ecuador)

Geographical description

Ecuador is located in the northwest of South America, facing the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, Ecuador‟s coastline has been subject to the weather alterations caused by the El Niño current1. Inland the landscape is dominated by the Andes Mountains, fertile river valleys, and a large number of volcanoes. Two tectonic plates, the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate, also intersect in Ecuador. These geological factors make Ecuador prone to several types of natural and geological phenomena including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical storms, floods and landslides.

Ecuador, given its geographical location at the equator and in a tropical zone of relative calm, is not exposed to atmospheric currents that produce large cyclones, typhoons or severe air turbulence, thereby dragging bodies of water that cause flooding large. However, it receives in the form cyclical influence of ocean currents and ocean phenomena in the Pacific, particularly the Humboldt current - that comes from Antarctica - the current underwater or equatorial flow of Cromwell in the north or current warm El Niño. All determine to a large extent the climate and rainfall in the country, especially on the coast and Galapagos, and to a lesser extent in the mountains and the Amazon region of Ecuador.

Its location inside the area known as the "Belt of Fire Pacific" and the presence of the Andes Mountains are perhaps the factors that make the Ecuadorian territory is subject to disasters caused by intense volcanic and seismic activity, which has caused destruction intense. In fact, by being located in a convergent margins of tectonic plates, the country is exposed to the effects of events geological origin, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, land movements, tsunami, and events of hydrometeorological origin.

The consequences of these events have caused enormous human and material losses. It is therefore important to promote risk management at local and national levels to reduce and possibly eliminate the impact caused by such phenomena.

One of the measures is to reduce vulnerability mapping of risk for specific events. There are already in the country geological maps, oceanographic and hydrometeorological, produced by different institutions, including the National Directorate of Civil Defence, universities, polytechnics and NGOs. Examples of these maps are:

Hazard map of volcanic threats of Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Guagua Pichincha, Cayambe, among others developed by the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School.

Hazard map of movements of land in Bay, Charapotó, Tosagua, Montecristi, Carchi and Imbabura, developed by the National Directorate of Civil Defence and the National Polytechnic School.

Hazard map of floods in the provinces of Guayas and El Oro, by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology and early warning systems for floods in several towns on the coast (NGOs).

Seismic hazard map of of Ecuador (National Directorate of Civil Defence - Polytechnic Army).

Hazard mapping of seismic accelerations of Ecuador (National Polytechnic School).

Maps of vulnerability by events tsunamigénicos (National Directorate for Civil Defense and Army Polytechnic).

The scale of these maps are diverse and scales have been lifted from 1:10.000 to regional scales 1:1.000.000. There is no unified system for managing the maps in a single geographic information system, integrating vulnerability of the population and infrastructure.

Institutional profile

One of the major advances of Ecuador in the process of Implementation in the Hyogo Framework for Action, is the incorporation of Risk Management in Articles 389 and 390 of the New Political Constitution of the State. Additionally, Ecuador is also in the process of constructing the National System Decentralized of Management of Risks of the country and the Organic Law of Risk Management - May 2009.

Although there are no strategic policies defined at the national level, Ecuador with national laws and regulations governing the various areas of prevention, care, rehabilitation and reconstruction, developing a number of initiatives to incorporate risk management in the sector (for example: drinking water and sanitation, health and energy). Still there is a national coordinating body and multisectoral collaboration in the area of risk reduction, but the country has the National System of Civil Defense, the National Planning and Coordination Unit of the Emergency Program for Addressing Natural Phenomena, that efforts in this direction.

The National Security Act and its regulations contain the rules defining the National System of Civil Defense, the responsibilities and roles of the National Directorate of Civil Defence, as a unit of the General Secretariat of the National Security Council, the Civil Defense Units each ministry, and territorial level, the Provincial Boards of Civil Defense agencies as planning, advice, coordination, implementation and monitoring within their respective jurisdictions. Art. 87 of the Act defines the National System of Civil Defense as "the set of agencies and organizations from the public and private sectors, national, provincial, municipal, parish and neighborhood, which consists executed by coordinating actions permanent protection of the population and their property, before, during and after a disaster caused by phenomena of nature or effects of the intervention of man. " Its main functions are: preventing disasters to reduce or prevent damage; aid plan and organize the people to overcome the circumstances of disaster or calamity; seek emergency rehabilitation of the affected population, in order to ensure standardization vital; and raise awareness of their responsibilities for the Civil Defense and their active participation in it.

While the above constitutes the main body of the legal and regulatory framework existing in Ecuador, some laws and executive orders, at various times and in the face of various events, have created programs, agencies or corporations in principle of a temporary nature, but with the time have become permanent and which are parallel and delivery functions similar to those that have the National System of Civil Defense. In particular, it can be mentioned the case of COPEFEN () 740 1997, to deal with the impact caused by this phenomenon, and which subsequently was expanded their powers, to tackle natural disasters in the country, superimposing duplicating functions and institutional efforts.

In addition, Ecuador is participating at the subregional level in the definition of strategic policies, laws and regulations across the Andean Committee for Disaster Prevention and Response (CAPRADE) and the Andean Program for the Prevention and Mitigation of Risks (PREANDINO).

Moreover, the National Secretariat of Planning and Development (SENPLADES, former ODEPLAN) has been taking important initiatives in terms of momentum for a comprehensive policy on risk management and for the inclusion of the topic in the planning. In addition, as coordinator in Ecuador, driven by CAF, and as one of the representatives of the country in CAPRADE, has proposed and developed a series of activities, especially in the area of policy (National Plan for Risk Management, plans Industry, etc.). in development tools (Geographic Information System, methodologies, etc..).

In the country there are various initiatives, especially important developments at the national, territorial and sectoral (development of risk reduction programmes by governments sectoral autonomous (subnational level, provincial and cantonal); structuring of seven clusters, corresponding different productive areas of basic services and greater involvement and vulnerabilities; studies of vulnerability to climate change from agriculture, forestry, marine and coastal water resources.

In connection with risk maps in the country was conducted gathering, systematization of information and digitization of maps of threats in a geographic information system at the national and provincial levels (1:1000.000) (1:250,000), in charge of SENPLADES-SINAGRO-7. (This information is available to the general public, public and private agencies.)

Source: UN/ISDR The Americas / CIA The World Factbook

Urban indicators

Statistical Overview

Urbanisation:

Total Population: 13 million

Urban population: 63%

Slum to urban population: 26%

Annual population growth rates:

Urban: 3%

Slum: 3%

Slum Indicators - % urban population with access to

Safe water source: 81%

Improved sanitation: 91%

Sufficient living area: N/A

Durable housing: N/A

(Based on UN-Habitat 2001 estimates)

Indicator	2030
Total population (thousands)	16,678.6
Population in urban (thousands)	12,813.1
Population in slums (thousands)	N/A
Population in urban areas (% of total population)	76.8
Population in slums (% of urban population)	N/A
Annual urban population growth rate (%)	N/A
Annual slum population growth rate (%)	N/A
Population with access to improved sanitation (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with access to improved water (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with sufficient living area (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with durable structures (% of urban population)	N/A
Population in rural (thousands)	3,865.6

Source: UN-Habitat - The data presented here is extracted from UN-HABITAT's Global Urban Indicators database.

The data is drawn from different sources and based on 2030 estimates.

Climate change

Ecuador's First National Communication on Climate Change to the UNFCC (November 2000)

Recent progress in implementing HFA

Ecuador: Statement made at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (2009)

Official Statement made by Ing. Lorena Cajas Albán, Secretaria Técnica, Ecuador, at the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, June 2009.

Concrete advancements and achievements mentioned at GP09:

PA1: Risk management is for the first time contemplated in the Constitution
The institutional tools for DRR are: The National Development Plan, the National Plan for Foreign Affairs, and the National Agenda for Security, Sovereignity and Democracy. These tools have contributed to the content and goals of DRR in Ecuador.

HFA P1 - Institutional and legal framework

HFA P2 - Risk identification and EWS:

HFA P3 - Knowledge and education:

HFA P4 - Risk applications: N/A

HFA P5 - Preparedness and response:

Other Areas:

Web Links

PreventionWeb Country profiles - Natural Disaster - Ecuador Data and Statistics

Ecuador Coordination Profile; United Nations Development Group (includes Common Country Assessment - CCA, United Nations Development Assistance Framework - UNDAF, MDG Reports, UN Country Team, Resident Coordinator's Office and more)

EM-DAT Country Profile - Natural Disaster - Ecuador

ReliefWeb Countries and Emergencies - Ecuador

UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Europe - Ecuador

Proyecto Apoyo a la Prevención de Desastres en la Comunidad Andina PREDECAN

(CIIFEN) International Research Centre un "El Niño"

MDG Profile: Ecuador

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