Economist in Ecuador

*Ben performed functions in Ecuador from February 2020 to November 2022.

Meet Benjamin (Ben) Rae, the economist in the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Ecuador. Ben has led the creation of an economists’ network in Ecuador, that brings together economists from the different UN entities operating in Ecuador, as well as economists from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, to prepare multidisciplinary analyses of key events and policies in Ecuador. As part of this work, he coordinated inputs into and attended meetings with the National Assembly to discuss the Circular Economy Law and the Violet Economy Law, both of which were subsequently enacted by the Government. 

In addition, he has helped strengthen the relationship between International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the UN country team through regular meetings between representatives to improve coordination and collaboration across entities. In the first year of this initiative, the team already witnessed enhanced coordination in the areas of fiscal policy, social protection and the socioeconomic integration of refugees and migrants between IFIs and the UN country team. 

Ben also plays key roles in other initiatives, such as on food systems, coordinating the interagency work in the lead up to the Food Systems Summit and the follow-up to the outcomes of the summit, as well as on the preparation of the UN’s Common Country Analysis and the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2026). He was especially important in ensuring that the analyses in the CCA and Cooperation Framework were more forward-looking and multisectoral, to ensure each area was not just analyzed in isolation, but also in an integrated manner to have a better understanding of the development landscape in the country.