Ecuador

Ecuador doubled the amount of cleared land from the 5,096m² achieved during 2022 to 10,389m² in 2023. A mechanical asset was introduced in support of clearance in 2022 along with the use of mine detection dogs (MDDs) for quality control (QC). In June 2024, Ecuador submitted Article 7 transparency reports covering 2022 and 2023, but to the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) rather than the United Nations. At the time of writing, this had not been uploaded to the UN Article 7 database. In November 2023, the Organization of American States, through the Comprehensive Action Against Anti-Personnel Mines Program (OAS – AICMA) organized an event in Washington DC entitled, “In support of the completion of demining efforts: Reaching the goal of a mine-free Ecuador and Peru”. at a Conference at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC, Ecuador said it needed additional international support if it were to for complete in 2025: US$740,685 for equipment and an astonishing US$1.96 million for QC. It is not clear whether all the necessary QC will be conducted by the OAS alone.

Since the Fourth Review Conference in 2019, Ecuador requested and was granted a fourth extension to its APMBC Article 5 deadline through to the end of 2025. In 2022, Ecuador and the General Secretariat of the OAS signed a Cooperation and Technical Assistance Agreement through its Integrated AP Mine (AICMA) Programme. After two years of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021); Ecuador announced that, in 2023, it had cleared 10,398m² and in 2022 it had cleared 5,096m² of SHA.

• Ecuador should maintain the level of non-technical survey (NTS) and clearance necessary to release all anti-personnel (AP) mined area by the end of 2025.
• Ecuador should clarify why retrospective QC is required, how much released area this relates to, what it will involve, and what the planned time scale is for conducting the requisite QC.
• Ecuador should elaborate a gender and diversity policy and mine action data should be systematically disaggregated by sex and age.
• Ecuador should elaborate an environmental policy.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2024" report for Ecuador.