International Conference on Indicators for Inclusive Green Growth
"Measuring the Future we want"
2012
Ecuador’s Good living in harmony with nature
Green economy as a part of a sustainable path
Author: National Secretary for Planning and Development
(SENPLADES)
Quito-Ecuador
December, 2012
Change of Paradigm: From Development to Good Living1
The prevalent concept of “development” is undergoing a profound crisis. In part this is only due to
the colonial perspective from which the concept is derived. But it is also a result of its failure
throughout the world. The present global crisis has demonstrated that it is impossible to maintain
the current patterns of accumulation that are not solving poverty and have increased
environmental damages including biodiversity lost and climate change.
Green economy promotes a different way of production and consumption that could reverse the
entire planet to collapse. It is essential, therefore, to promote new modes of organization of life
and coexistence. This is the reason why, today, more than ever, the world needs to put forward
proposals to re-think social, cultural, economic and environmental relations.
Ecuador, through its new social contract set in the 2008 Constitution proposes a moratorium of
the word “development” and the incorporation of the concept of “Good Living” in the debate.
Good Living is based on a vision that surpasses the narrow confines of quantitative economicism
and challenges the notion of material, mechanic and endless accumulation of goods. This new
paradigm promotes an inclusive, sustainable, and democratic economic strategy that incorporates
actors historically excluded from capitalism through market-logic of accumulation and
(re)distribution.
Similarly, Good Living is a complex and non-linear concept that reinterprets the relation between
nature and human beings. Good living is living at its fullest in harmony with oneself, with the
community and with nature. It posits that humans should value nature in all its forms and use
natural resources in a sustainable way that allows their conservation and regeneration. This
concept also relies on social equality and intergenerational justice, and gives importance to
dialogue with diverse peoples, cultures, forms of knowledge and ways of life.
In sum, Ecuador’s Good Living could be defined as “covering needs, achieving a dignified quality of
life and death; loving and being loved; the healthy flourishing of all individuals in peace and
harmony with nature; and achieving an indefinite reproduction perpetuation of human cultures.
This concept compels us to re-build the public sphere in order to recognize, understand and value
ourselves as diverse but equal individuals, and in order to advance reciprocity and mutual
recognition, enable self-advancement, and build a shared social future”(Fig. 1).
1
SENPLADES, 2010. National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013: Building a Plurinational and Intercultural State.
Summarized Version. Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo – SENPLADES, 2010. Quito, Ecuador (first edition,
3,000 copies)
International Conference on Indicators for Inclusive Green Growth
"Measuring the Future we want"
2012
Fig. 1 Good Living Definition
Source: National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013
Burbano,R. 2011. Economic Integration Projections. SENPLADES.
Prepared by: National Secretary for Planning and Development (SENPLADES), 2012
I.
Current Policy Framework2

The New 2008 Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador represents the new social contract
approved in referendum, is the main point of reference for the national planning process. It
considers planning and public policies as instruments to achieve the objectives of Good Living
and guarantee human and collective rights as well as rights of nature. In fact, in Art. 275 the
Constitution emphasizes the enforcement of rights as a precondition for Good Living; and the
exercise of responsibilities related to interculturalism and harmonious coexistence with
nature. It acknowledges for the first time in the planet the “Rights of Nature” and, in this way,
changes the prevailing vision of nature, understood only as resources, to more comprehensive
vision whereby nature is “the space where life is reproduced”.

The 2009-2013 National Plan for Good Living is a territorial planning instrument based on
social, economic and environmental demands in accordance with the 2008 Constitution which
established that the aim of planning is to promote social and territorial equality and
consensus. For this purpose, the eradication of poverty, the promotion of sustainable
development, and the equitable (re)distribution of resources and wealth are essential. In this
new approach, the citizens, both individually and collectively, are entitled to participate and
be protagonists in public decision and policy-making.
In other words, the Plan has become the guiding principle of the government’s social actions
through the establishment of significant technical and political challenges, as well as
methodological and instrumental innovations articulated to institutional planning through the
public entities’ plans in line with national strategies, policies, goals and indicators set on it (Fig.
2).
2
SENPLADES, 2010. National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013: Building a Plurinational and Intercultural State.
Summarized Version. Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo – SENPLADES, 2010. Quito, Ecuador (first edition,
3,000 copies)
International Conference on Indicators for Inclusive Green Growth
"Measuring the Future we want"
2012
Fig. 2 National Plan for Good Living Structure
Source: National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013
Goals and Indicators are organized by national development objectives which are detailed below
(Fig. 3):
Fig. 3 Good Living Plan National Objectives
Source: National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013
II.
The importance of Measuring Good Living Achievement
Monitoring the achievement of aims established on the National Plan is important for Ecuador’s
government. For this purpose, the National Plan for Good Living has included goals and indicators
as strategic tools to evaluate if public actions and policies are having the desired impact set for
2013 year. Currently, the indicator’s baseline corresponds to 2008 or the most recent year with
available information. Indicators are validated by the ministries in charge of implementation with
the support of Coordinator Ministries and National Secretary for Planning and Development
(SENPLADES).
International Conference on Indicators for Inclusive Green Growth
"Measuring the Future we want"
2012
At present, Ecuador is generating and tracking information in order to measure and monitor,
among others, area under conservation, deforestation, major pollutants, poverty reduction, as
well as, the change in the energy matrix. In addition, the country is working on calculating the
ecological footprint and the carbon footprint and working on environmental-accounting in order
to implement low carbon policies.
Even though Ecuador registers a significant progress on measuring its efforts to achieve a
sustainable development, the country still needs support to develop environmental-economic
indicators that could track among others its goals in terms of change in the production and
consumption systems, carbon accounting, ecological land planning, energy matrix diversification,
green jobs implementation, lower green house gases emissions policies as well as more specific
indicators to demonstrate the progress on the implementation of a “Greener Economy” and
“Good Living”. At this time, all the efforts are mainly oriented in the updating and reinforcement
of “Ecuador’s National Development Plan”.
III.
Support and Assessment Needs
Future
Activities

Elaboration of the
“National Green
Economy Review”

Report about the
transformation of
production matrix and
green economy



Definition of
Indicators aimed to
measure the respect
of the “Rights of
Nature” and creation
of the bioknowledge
based society


Definition and
redefinition of
indicators related to
Reinforcement of
Ecuador’s government
commitment to the “Rights
of Nature” ” and creation
of the bioknowledge based
society through the
inclusion of strong
indicators in the Current
and Future National
Development Plan.
Undertake the national
inventory and valuation of
terrestrial and marine
biodiversity
Solving the problem of
underrepresentation of
targets and indicators
related to national strategic
Interesting Indicators and
Topics to Ecuador’s Good
Living Achievement
Support and
Assessment Needs
Objective



Technical support to
further assist in the
definition, methodological
establishment and
production of indicators.
Investment Assessment in
green activities
Training for technical
capacity building in the
country.
Technical support to
further assist in the
definition, methodological
establishment and
production of indicators.
Training for technical
capacity building in the
country.
Technical support to
further assist in the
definition, methodological
establishment and




Green Jobs
Environmental health
indicators
Indicators of resource
efficiency/sustainable
consumption
and production
Green Economy Index

Biodiversity indicators

Wealth Accounting and
Valuation of Ecosystems
Bio Trade indicators



Ecological Efficiency of
Production and
Consumption
2012
International Conference on Indicators for Inclusive Green Growth
"Measuring the Future we want"
the following strategic
issues: Water
Heritage, Risk
Management and
Prevention, and
Climate Change
Updating and
developing new
national
environmental,
economic and social
indicators oriented to
measure Ecuadorian’s
sustainability and
Good Living
Elaboration of the
“First National Report
of the state of the
environment in
Ecuador”

issues.
Complete national
inventories and data
interpretation



Find alternative indicators
to measure Good living.


Report about the state of
the environment in
Ecuador and country’s
current progress reached in
this field.

production of indicators.
Training for technical
capacity building in the
country.
Technical support to
further assist in the
definition, methodological
establishment and
production of indicators.
Training for technical
capacity building in the
country.
Technical support on the
environmental quantitative
information base necessary
to develop the First
National Report.

Composite indices of
sustainability and good
living

Inclusive Wealth Index

SEEA and adjusted
macroeconomic
aggregates

Sustainable development
indicators

Indicators for Country
Driven Capacity
Development to advance
a Green Economy
Table 1. Ecuador’s Support and Assessment Needs
Prepared by: National Secretary for Planning and Development (SENPLADES), December 2012
Bibliography:


SENPLADES, 2010. National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013: Building a Plurinational and Intercultural
State. Summarized Version. Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo – SENPLADES, 2010. Quito,
Ecuador (first edition, 3,000 copies)
Burbano,R. 2011. Economic Integration Projections. SENPLADES.
Web Sources:




http://plan2009.senplades.gob.ec/web/en/goals-4
www.planificacion.gob.ec
http://www.stakeholderforum.org/fileadmin/files/PAPER%202_BEYOND_GDP_Final_vj%20%282%29.pdf
http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/