This is the first time in the IDB’s history that a program specifically addresses the challenges of organized crime with several preventive and institutional measures.
WASHINGTON / ECUADOR – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a $150 million loan and a $5 million grant to support Ecuador in preventing crimes associated with organized crime groups and reducing their impunity. Through this Program, Ecuador will expand the coverage of organized crime prevention initiatives and support vulnerable populations, improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations, and enhance national and local security management capabilities.
The “Program for Prevention and Response to Violence and Criminality in Ecuador (PREVIC), approved by the IDB board of executive directors, aims to strengthen Ecuador’s security model to prevent criminal violence and reduce the impunity of these crimes.
Despite efforts to reactivate the economy and achieve fiscal stability, Ecuador faces multiple challenges. One of these is the increase in criminal violence since 2018. This security crisis, driven by the actions of organized crime groups, hinders the country’s development agenda and economic recovery.
“This is an innovative operation that will enhance the effective presence of the state in critical areas, protecting vulnerable areas and recruitment, strengthen financial and forensic intelligence to reduce financial crimes, and improve coordination at the local and regional levels,” said IDB president Ilan Goldfajn. “The current level of sophistication of organized crime requires the region to organize and implement a regional innovative approach. This program in Ecuador is an example of our new approach: a program with an integral and multisectoral focus, combining social and police prevention, criminal investigation, and security governance,” he added.
The program is structured around three components. The first aims to prevent violence in high-incidence areas and the recruitment of adolescents and young people, as well as promote support for vulnerable populations. To this end, a new preventive police service model will be implemented, including technological solutions for integrated management, technical assistance and training, the construction of police infrastructure, and support for the school safety network.
Additionally, 12 Civic Centers for Life and Peace will be built and launched, offering integrated services for adolescents and young people aimed at preventing recruitment. The capacities of the ministry of the interior will also be strengthened for orderly and safe migration, including support for the implementation of the Plan against the Illicit Trafficking of Migrants and the regularization of the migrant population in the country.
The second component seeks to increase the effectiveness of the investigation and prosecution of crimes associated with organized crime groups. This will be achieved by strengthening the prevention and detection capacities of the Ecuador Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE, its Spanish acronym) and the National Police of Ecuador (PNE, its Spanish acronym) for money laundering and other crimes such as homicides and extortion. Support will also be provided for the modernization of the chain of custody systems and the improvement of digital forensic investigation capabilities, including technical assistance, training, computer equipment, and the creation of the PNE cyber center.
Finally, the third component focuses on strengthening the capacities of the ministry of the interior and the decentralized autonomous governments to coordinate and implement participatory and data-driven citizen security initiatives. The information systems of the ministry of the interior and the PNE will also be modernized, the capacity for strategic analysis of organized crime will be improved, and a technical and academic management model for the Universidad de Seguridad Ciudadana y Ciencias Policiales will be developed. Additionally, a program to strengthen local governance of citizen security will be implemented, with a technological platform for training and monitoring and technical assistance for the design of municipal security plans with a gender and diversity perspective.
This program aligns with the IDB’s Framework to Support Populations in Situations of Fragility, Conflict, and Criminal Violence (FCVC) and is part of the actions planned under the Alliance for Security, Justice, and Development, presented by the IDB and the ministry of the interior of Ecuador in August this year.
The $150 million IDB loan has a repayment term of 25 years, a five and a half years grace-period, and an interest rate based on Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). The program is complemented by a $5 million non-reimbursable grant from the IDB’s Special Donations Fund.
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