Construction of new facilities in Quito starting in 2004 and in Guayaquil starting in 2005 presents an urgent need to review consular strategies and Consulate General Guayaquil?s contribution to mission performance goals and to centralize all consular functions in Quito. Largely neglected, Consulate General Guayaquil suffers from management problems.
Narcotics affairs and interdicting trafficking are the embassy?s most important program activity. Funding for the program to support and train Ecuadorian police and military units increased from $0.5 million in 1998 to $15.7 million in 2002 and is expected to grow further. Administrative oversight has been limited by inadequate staffing to perform end-use monitoring.
Embassy Quito?s administrative section deserves praise for providing FSN?s with a new, superior retirement system and for obtaining about $1 million in annual value-added tax reimbursement from the host government. However, embassy staff perceive a lack of customer service and transparency in administrative operations.
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