The Request states that the World Bank-financed Strengthening the National Statistical System in Ecuador Project is implementing a national population and housing census and a new income and expenditure survey on consumption patterns. The Request alleges poor design and implementation of the census. It alleges that enumerators were insufficiently trained and were not provided appropriate guidance and support for completing the census questionnaires, which included biased questioning of minority and vulnerable groups. It also alleges insufficient and ineffective information dissemination and communication prior to conducing the census, and insufficient prior consultation with community leaders. The Request claims that the survey failed to properly account for Indigenous Peoples, Montubios, Afro-Ecuadorians, as well as members of LGBTI+ communities.
The Request alleges the affected communities suffer severe harm in relation to their political representation and potential losses of benefits as a result of changes in public policies and social programs. The Request also alleges that the poor information dissemination and awareness raising contributed to the affected communities not completing the census forms and this has resulted in their underreporting, which is adversely affecting their ethnic and collective rights, especially their rights to consultation and consent.
After receiving the Request, the Panel met with the Requesters on September 20, 2024, to gain a better understanding of their concerns, seek clarifications, and inform them about the Panel’s process and mandate. The Panel also met with Management on October 11, 2024. Management provided an overview of the Project and status of implementation, as well as its views on the issues raised in the Request. The Panel conducted its initial due diligence and verified that the Request meets the admissibility criteria for registration.
The Panel registered the Request on October 21, 2024. Management submitted its response to the Request on November 20, 2024. A Panel team visited Ecuador on December 3-10, 2024, to inform its eligibility report and recommendation. The Panel team met with Government officials of the Ministry of Finance, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), the Social Registry, the Comptroller General of the State (Contraloria General del Estado, CGE), as well as with World Bank staff. The Panel also had virtual meetings with the Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Populations Fund in Ecuador (UNFPA). In Quito, Ibarra, Tarqui, and Guayaquil the Team met with the Requesters and members and representatives of Indigenous Peoples, Montubios, Afro-Ecuadorians organizations, as well as with representatives of the LBGTI+ population and women’s organizations. The Panel is grateful to all those who contributed to its process with their insights about the Project. The Panel submitted its recommendation to the Board of Executive Directors on December 24, 2024.
In its recommendation, the Panel determined that the Request does not meet all six technical eligibility criteria. While the Panel acknowledged the concerns Requesters had raised regarding the Census and the alleged harm associated with potential underreporting and misclassification, the Panel could not directly attribute the alleged harm to any act or omission of the Bank, as required by the criterion in paragraph 13 (b) of the Inspection Panel Resolution. The Panel noted that, if the alleged harm were to occur, it would be unlikely to result directly from the Census data, because Census data is not the only source of information based on which public policies are deliberated and decided. Furthermore, the Panel considered the LGBTI+ population’s claims to reflect the legitimate expectations of that segment of the population, rather than a material deterioration resulting from the Project. Therefore, the Panel did not recommend an investigation into the Bank’s compliance with the applicable provisions of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework and the Bank Directive on Addressing Risks and Impacts on Disadvantaged or Vulnerable Individuals or Groups.
The Board of Executive Director approved Panel’s recommendation on January 14, 2025.
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