Ecuador and the EU present SERPAZ: a partnership for peace, security and institutional strengthening

Ecuador faces an unprecedented internal security crisis due to structural problems aggravated by drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as transnational organised crime groups operating in Ecuadorian territory. In the last five years, the Andean country has climbed positions in the total number of homicides, increasing the total figure by 574.30% since 2019. According to these data, at the end of 2023 the country reported 8004 violent deaths, which is 47.25 homicides per hundred thousand inhabitants. This makes Ecuador the most violent country in Latin America, excluding the Caribbean. This has caused a serious and exponential degradation of the public and private sectors, the exposure of the most fragile population to contexts of maximum vulnerability and the weakening of governmental management due to internal corruption and the influence of international cartels.

For this reason, and in the spirit of Team Europe, the Government of Ecuador and the European Union have launched the SERPAZ project: Security, Hope and Resilience for Peace in Ecuador programme. The aim is to strengthen the state, promote social cohesion and generate safe and resilient environments in the country.

About SERPAZ

The project targets communities affected by violence and inequality, as well as state institutions, with the aim of strengthening their capacities and promoting safer, more resilient and cohesive territories. With a comprehensive and multi-sectoral orientation, it is structured around four components:

• - Anti-money laundering security. It focuses on strengthening institutional capacities to prevent and combat money laundering, as well as to facilitate the recovery of assets originating from organised crime. Through specialised technical assistance, it seeks to improve financial control mechanisms and inter-institutional coordination.
• - Prison security. This programme supports the Ecuadorian state's efforts to transform the penitentiary system. Actions include training processes, development of action protocols, crisis management and the application of a restorative justice approach, promoting dignified and sustainable social reintegration.
• - Safe Cargo. It is aimed at strengthening security in export logistics chains through public-private partnerships. Its objective is to preserve product traceability, improve controls and protect the country's competitiveness in the face of threats from transnational organised crime.
• - Resilient Communities. Promotes social cohesion and violence prevention in territories historically affected by inequality and exclusion. This axis includes training processes, community participation and strengthening local leadership, with an emphasis on youth and a territorial approach.

Co-financed by the European Union with a budget of 12 million euros, it is implemented by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), Expertise France, Instituto Italo Latino Americano (IILA), CORPEI, FEDEXPOR, Port of Antwerp-Brujas, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the German Cooperation (GIZ).

Presentation of the project

The programme was presented at an official ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility in Quito. Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld thanked the European Union and each implementing partner for their confidence in the country and their commitment to comprehensive solutions: "We will work hand in hand so that, at the end of this effort, we can show tangible results: safer supply chains, strengthened institutions, and resilient communities.

Erica Gerretsen, Director of the European Commission's Directorate for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace, stressed: "The European Union does not see the security situation in Ecuador as a distant crisis, but as a shared challenge that requires enhanced cooperation, intelligence sharing and coordinated political action. Security threats in Latin America have a direct impact on Europe, and only with strategic alliances can we tackle transnational organised crime".

Likewise, María Cristina Lera, director of the SERPAZ programme, stressed that "this initiative is a joint commitment to strengthen Ecuador's institutional capacities in the fight against organised crime, from money laundering to port security and social cohesion in vulnerable territories. This comprehensive vision reflects the firm commitment of the European Union to contribute to a peace built on solid foundations, with responsibility and a rights-based approach".

In addition to these authorities, the event was also attended by the Superintendent of Popular and Solidarity Economy, Christina Murillo; the Commander General of the Army, General Henry Delgado; the Technical Secretary of Public Sector Real Estate Management, Elecktra Enriquez Ulloa; the Undersecretary for Citizen Security of the Ministry of the Interior, Paola Escobar; the Ambassador of the European Union in Ecuador, Jekaterina Dorodnova; the Ambassadors of Germany, Jens Peter Lütkenherm; of Spain, Enrique Yturriaga; of France, Philippe Jean Andre Létrilliart; of Italy, Giovanni Davoli; and of Belgium in Peru, concurrent to Ecuador, Mark Van de Vreken. Delegations from local governments and community organisations also participated.