Launch of the SDG web portal in Ecuador

Montevideo, March 29, 2021.

Now Ecuadorian citizens have access to a new web platform containing information related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level. Through this dynamic, interactive, and user-friendly platform, users can access information on the progress, implementation, and monitoring of initiatives contributing to the achievement of the SDGs in Ecuador.

The SDG Web Platform in Ecuador is the result of the project: Design and Development of the Web Platform for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Ecuador, created by the Technical Secretariat Planifica Ecuador and the Vice Presidency of the Republic, with technical assistance from the United Nations System in Ecuador and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ecuador, under the consulting firm Sofis Solutions.

On Thursday, March 25, 2021, the Vice Presidency of the Republic and the Technical Secretariat Planifica Ecuador officially launched the web platform https://www.odsecuador.ec/, which serves as a window of information and transparency related to the national implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the perspective of national government, local governments, academia, private sector, civil society, and international cooperation.

For this project, Sofis Solutions carried out the analysis, design, development, and implementation of the platform, focusing on providing citizens with a digital, user-friendly, dynamic, and interactive tool. Users can view and access progressive contributions to the SDGs at the national level, including progress reports, statistics, news, a national initiative viewer (public and private), multimedia files, and more.

Among the interactive tools on this web platform, the following stand out:

• Initiatives Viewer: An interactive map displaying general and specific information about initiatives contributing to the SDGs and their targets. Users can use filters to search for information by initiative, stakeholder, type of stakeholder, and impacted population.
• Indicators Visualization: Enables users to search statistical information by goal, indicator, and year according to data registered by Ecuador's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. This data is shown through various types of charts and breakdowns, and can be downloaded in CSV or Excel formats.
• SDG Tracking: Displays information on national vision, progress, related public policies, results, evaluations, and initiatives related to the 17 SDGs in Ecuador.
• Access to Open Data: Allows users to consult and download documents related to regulations, reports, and publications within the framework of the 2030 Agenda in Ecuador.

Sofis Solutions applies a set of work methodologies and uses the most appropriate for each project, depending on its characteristics and requirements. In this particular case, an agile methodology was used along with DevOps best practices during the development phase of the solution.

The development and implementation of this web portal was made possible thanks to the effort, hard work, commitment, and dedication of the technical team at the Technical Secretariat Planifica Ecuador, who made significant contributions to achieving the project’s objectives and delivering a digital tool of national reference for the 2030 Agenda, now available to Ecuadorian citizens.

The platform focuses on providing the best user experience. Therefore, a responsive web design was incorporated, adaptable to different devices. It was developed under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards at the “Double A” (AA) level of compliance, ensuring accessibility for users with visual impairments.

During the virtual event, Ms. Matilde Mordt, UNDP Resident Representative in Ecuador, stated: "(...) we are proud to support today’s launch of this SDG website, as we have done with other actions related to Sustainable Development in the country. I congratulate Ecuador and all stakeholders for the progress made in the ownership and dissemination of the 2030 Agenda."

"(...) As part of a transparency exercise and in compliance with governmental policies on access to information and open data, today we make available the official SDG web platform in Ecuador. The development and implementation of this tool is user-friendly and contains explanatory and educational information on the SDGs," highlighted Ms. Sandra Argotty, Technical Secretary of Planifica Ecuador, in her speech.

Sofis Solutions reaffirms its commitment as a member organization of the United Nations Global Compact to continue advancing actions that contribute to the SDGs within its sphere of influence, through the development of integrated solutions that support sustainable development and generate a positive impact to improve people's quality of life.