The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched Intercooperation: Exchange of experiences on migration for local development in Ecuador (#LoBuenoSeComparte) with the support of the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Ecuador. The aim of this call is to document innovative practices that can be implemented to promote the development of migrants and host communities time-efficiently, and cost-effectively from a multi-stakeholder approach.

This first call implemented an experimental approach, registering 67 good practices. Mainly, the practices were registered from civil society (37%) and public institutions (33%), followed by cooperation agencies (16%), others —such as universities— (9%) and private enterprise (4%). Various territories of the country have participated in this call from Galapagos to the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Regarding the thematic areas, most of the experiences are aligned with Promotion and protection of rights (including gender issues), Economic inclusion (including remittances) and Migration and development. 

Through an Evaluation Committee, integrated by IOM and UNS Ecuador, ten finalist practices were selected. These were recognized at the Intercooperation event, held on November 8, in Quito, with the presence of more than 80 people from different UN agencies, cooperation agencies, civil society organizations and companies, among others.

The more innovative good practices that recognized were:

• HIAS: Sustainable, resilience and secure communities: Development of agribusiness led by women in human mobility situation and of host community in the province of Sucumbíos, Lago Agrio.
• Corporación Humor y Vida: Development of Community Cultural Tourism in the San Mateo Parish at the Buque Azart Cultural Center.
• Fundación Esquel: Improvement of access to health services and employment for Venezuelan people in a situation of human mobility, and their social and economic integration with the host population in Ecuador.
• Proyecto Transgénero: Transitional Health Pilot.
• Ministerio de Inclusión Económica y Social (MIES): Migratory regularization for unaccompanied and separated non-national children and adolescents in a situation of human mobility.

In the same line, the following were also recognized as outstanding practices.

• Ministerio del Interior: Modernization and accessibility for information, advice and migration services.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador: PUCE-WOCCU Student Linkage Project.
• Casa Digna Santo Domingo: Casa de acogida (Shelter House).  
• Consejo Cantonal para la Protección de Derechos de Santo Domingo: E-work business and entrepreneurship center.
• Consejo Noruego para Refugiados: Vivimos en comunidad (We live in community).

This event for appreciation of collective learning rounded off with an experiential tour of the good practices of intercooperation. All participants were able to learn more about the ten finalist experiences of the process through the Route of Experiences.

Intercooperation allowed to identify good practices from the migration ecosystem in Ecuador and its contribution for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) and the territories where the practices are being implemented. 

This information can be consulted in detail in the Intercooperation Map, which has the following main purposes:

• To understand the ecosystem of cooperation on migration for development and humanitarian action: who, where and how are the initiatives are impacting. 
• To identify opportunities for innovation through collaboration with other humanitarian organizations, governments, local NGDO, businesses and academia to obtain additional support and resources.
• Scalability: considering how an experience can be implemented in another organization or in another territory.

Because good things are meant to be shared