UNHCR has been in Ecuador since 2000. The operation in Ecuador is fundamentally driven to deliver protection and solutions to a variety of persons of UNHCR’s concern such as asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless people.

The operation takes place in partnership and close collaboration with national authorities as well as non-governmental organizations and communities. Particular attention and specific multi-faceted protection and assistance is often provided within short timeframes and, at times, little resources, in a demanding operational environment. The wide variety of activities is mainly coordinated from the national office in Quito as well as the field offices, including Quito (Solanda), Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Ibarra, Tulcán and Lago Agrio, as well as smaller field units in some other provinces.

Ecuador is a destination and transit country for persons in need of international protection. Over the past two decades, Ecuador has been hosting more than 68,000 recognized refugees (mainly Colombians) and has become a main destination and transit country for Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Ecuador receives the second largest number of Venezuelans after Colombia. Over 2.2 million people have arrived in Ecuador since 2016. In 2019, Venezuelans arrived in Ecuador at an average of 1,950 people per day, almost all of them came through border crossings with Colombia. Official estimates are that more than 450,000 Venezuelans are today living in Ecuador.

	Datos actualizados
	Defensoria del pueblo
	Defensoria publico del Ecuador
	OIM Ecuador
	OIM Ecuador
	Response for Venezuelans
	Sistema de monitoreo de proyectos

The geographical breakdown is an estimate.