Promoting Public Integrity across Ecuadorian Society

5. Proposals for action

Abstract

This chapter provides a summary of the actions proposed in this report to strengthen the culture of public integrity in the whole of Ecuadorian society.

This report analyses the main lines of action to foster the co-responsibility of the private sector, academia, CSOs and citizens in promoting public integrity from a whole-of-society approach, considering principle 5 of the OECD Recommendation on Public Integrity. Based on this analysis, the report provides recommendations aimed at supporting Ecuador in fostering a culture of integrity in the whole of Ecuadorian society. This report complements the analysis carried out in the framework of the OECD report Public Integrity in Ecuador: Towards a National Integrity System (2021[13]), which analysed the institutional arrangements for integrity at the national level and within the Executive Function of Ecuador, and provided recommendations aimed at supporting Ecuador in institutionalising a preventive approach against corruption by means of improving inter-institutional co-operation and a clear strategic vision.

While the issues addressed in the two reports are priority issues and crucial elements to lay the foundations for a public integrity system in Ecuador and to foster public integrity in the whole of Ecuadorian society, further efforts are needed to build a culture of integrity in the public sector and to ensure effective accountability, in line with the second and third pillars of the OECD Recommendation on Public Integrity.

The following is a summary of the main recommendations aimed at fostering a culture of integrity in the whole of Ecuadorian society:

Table 5.1. Summary of key recommendations for fostering a culture of integrity on the whole of Ecuadorian society

Section	Recommendation	Actor in charge	Execution term
Main challenges and actions for whole-of-society integrity in Ecuador	Strengthen the focus and organisation of the Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat to reinforce its stability as the main institution with responsibilities for public integrity in the Executive Function.	Ecuadorian Government	Short to medium term
	Strengthen the inter-institutional co-ordination body for the prevention of corruption in charge of overseeing the implementation of the NACS to ensure strategic co-operation between the five state functions and levels of government, with the contribution of civil society, academia and the private sector.	Ecuador (the five Functions of State)	Short-term
Strengthening citizen participation in the design of public integrity policies in Ecuador	Strengthen citizen engagement processes as a first step towards a culture of public integrity in the whole-of-society.	Actors with responsibilities for integrity in all Functions of the State	Short, medium and long term
	Ensure the development and use of a participatory methodology in the design and implementation of the new National Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption Plan.	Transparency and Social Control Function	Short-term
	Co-operate to support capacity building for citizen participation.	Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat Transparency and Social Control Function Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control	Medium to long-term
Cultivating citizens' commitment to public integrity in Ecuador	Take the lead in strengthening the evidence base on integrity and anti-corruption challenges in Ecuadorian society.	Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Medium to long-term
	Design a communication strategy that encompasses, provides coherence to and guarantees the continuity and desired impact of public awareness-raising actions.	Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Short-term
	Establish a multi-stakeholder working group with responsibility for strengthening integrity education efforts within the framework of the existing national curriculum reform process.	Ministry of Education	Short-term
	Develop guidance material for students and educators, as well as trainings for educators on integrity education.	Multi-stakeholder working group	Medium-term
	Partner with civil society and public sector organisations to develop extra-curricular activities that promote public integrity education.	Ministry of Education Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Medium-term
	Consider integrating courses on public integrity and anti-corruption into undergraduate and graduate programmes.	Universities	Short-term
	Issue general guidelines and recommendations to Ecuadorian universities that can guide the development and integration of the above-mentioned concepts in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by universities.	Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Council of Higher Education	Short to medium-term
	Collect information related to public integrity and anti-corruption research.	Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation	Medium-term
Engaging the private sector in promoting public integrity in Ecuador	Develop initiatives to support companies in designing and implementing their integrity systems	Superintendencies Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Short-term
	Lead the development and implementation of general and sectoral programmes to promote integrity in the private sector	Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Short to medium-term
	Strengthen the evidence base on business integrity practices and challenges.	Anti-Corruption Public Policy Secretariat	Medium to long-term