Santa Rosa approves ordinance to combat chronic childhood malnutrition

The Cantonal Council of the Autonomous Decentralized Municipal Government of Santa Rosa, province of El Oro, issued the Ordinance to prevent and reduce chronic childhood malnutrition in girls and boys from zero to six years of age and care for pregnant women in the Santa Rosa canton. The regulation was published in the Official Registry, Special Edition No. 1730, on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, starting on page 28, and was sanctioned by Mayor Larry Ronald Vite Cevallos.

The text is based on the Constitution of the Republic, articles 240 and 246 of the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD), and the Organic Law to Prevent and Eradicate Malnutrition in Ecuador, in addition to the National Strategy Ecuador Grows Without Childhood Malnutrition created by Executive Decree No. 1211 of December 15, 2020. The Municipal Council approved the ordinance in its ordinary sessions on October 12 and 22, 2026, according to the certification of the general secretary, Patsy Lisette Jácome Calle. The articles are organized into six chapters and 39 articles, with transitory and final provisions and a technical glossary.

First thousand days and prioritized package

The ordinance establishes as its objective to intervene during the first thousand days of life, that is, from gestation until two years of age, and extends protection to early childhood up to six years and to women in periods of gestation and lactation. Its principles include:

• The best interests of the child and absolute priority in the allocation of resources.
• Co-responsibility of the State, society, and families.
• Timeliness and speed, effectiveness, and intersectorality.

Chapter III mandates the permanent and timely guarantee of the Prioritized Package of Goods and Services, with benefits such as nutritional assessment and child health control, vaccination, delivery of iron, folic acid, and vitamin A supplements, deworming, dietary counseling, and access to safe water. Access is planned through municipal, hospital, and territorial channels, with priority for the vulnerable population.

The Cantonal Intersectoral Technical Table

Chapter IV creates the Cantonal Intersectoral Technical Table Ecuador Grows Without Childhood Malnutrition, presided over by the mayor or their delegate, with the participation of:

• Authorities from the Autonomous Decentralized Municipal Government of Santa Rosa and the Equality and Gender Commission.
• Delegates from the Health and Education districts.
• Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Inclusion and Social Development and the Cantonal Council for the Protection of Rights.
• Delegates from social organizations and civil society linked to the issue.

Its functions include dictating cantonal policy, coordinating the interventions of entities within the territory, and monitoring goals. The ordinance also mandates the incorporation of the subject into the Development and Territorial Planning Plan (PDYOT) and provides for coordination with rural parish governments regarding prevention plans.

Deadlines, monitoring, and accountability

The Second Transitory Provision grants a maximum period of 90 days from the approval of the ordinance for the Planning Directorate, the Social Development Directorate, and the Cantonal Council for the Protection of Rights to develop the cantonal plan for the prevention and reduction of childhood malnutrition. Chapter V establishes monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and indicators, as well as periodic accountability to the Council and reports from the Technical Table and the Equality and Gender Commission.

The regulation further empowers the municipality to adopt administrative measures to ensure the fulfillment of services and to monitor their execution, with mandatory reports from municipal areas on what has been delivered in the territory. The final provisions repeal contrary regulations and order the publication of the ordinance in the Official Registry and on the institutional website.

For the inhabitants of Santa Rosa, the practical scope lies at the intersection of budgetary obligation and citizen oversight: the ordinance turns the delivery of the prioritized package into an enforceable municipal service and sets verifiable deadlines and indicators, allowing cantonal progress to be measured beyond declarations.

Source: Official Registry, Special Edition No. 1730, Tuesday, November 10, 2026, Municipal Ordinances, p. 28 (official reference: Special Edition No. 1730, Ordinance of the Santa Rosa Canton).