Multi-dimensional Country Reviews (MDCRs) are the result of a collaborative effort of the OECD and the country under review. Work on the third phase of the MDCR of Paraguay was carried out by the OECD Development Centre, with inputs from the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (ELS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MTESS) and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Well-being (MSPBS) of Paraguay, and with support from the Inter-agency Commission in charge of coordinating Paraguay’s actions and initiates in its relationship with the OECD (Comisión multisectorial encargada de coordinar las acciones e iniciativas del Paraguay en el proceso de relacionamineto con la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos), coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay.
The review was produced under the guidance of Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre and Special Counsellor to the Secretary-General on Development, and the leadership of Jan Rieländer, Head of the MDCR Unit. The review was co-ordinated by Juan Ramón de Laiglesia (OECD Development Centre). This volume was drafted by Juan Ramón de Laiglesia and Nathalia Montoya (OECD Development Centre). Juan Ramón de Laiglesia led the high-level meeting on health reform held in Asunción on 6 November 2018 and the workshops “Reforms for better health in Paraguay”, held in Asunción on 14 March 2019, and “The pension system in Paraguay: reform options”, held in Asunción on 28 March 2019. Inputs, guidance and comments were provided by Cristian Herrera (OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs). Jerôme Poulain provided research assistantship and Myriam Andrieux provided administrative support throughout the review.
The team is grateful for comments and guidance provided by José Luis Álvarez-Galván (OECD Directorate for Education and Skills), Benedicte Bergseng (OECD Centre for Skills), Alexander Pick (OECD Development Centre), and Juan Vázquez (OECD Development Centre). The team also recognises the contributions of Tatiana Andia (Universidad de los Andes), Jaime Burrows (Universidad Autónoma de Chile), Inmaculada Domínguez (Universidad de Extremadura), Carlos Grau (Centro de Investigaciones Económicas, CINVE), Pere Ibern (Universtitat Pompeu Fabra), and Rob Rusconi (Tres consulting) to the policy workshops held as part of this review.
The report was discussed by the Mutual Learning Group for Multi-Dimensional Country Reviews on its meeting held on 4 July 2019.
The Multi-dimensional Country Review of Paraguay was made possible by the financial support of the European Union. The team extends its gratitude to the Delegation of the European Union to Paraguay for its support during the process, the insights of its staff into the development of Paraguay and their efforts to seek synergies between this review and other actions financed by the European Union in Paraguay.
This review has greatly benefited from the support of various ministries and public agencies during the implementation of the third phase of the MDCR of Paraguay. The support of Luis Alberto Castiglioni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, and his staff was of great value to the review. Juan Ángel Delgadillo (Deputy Minister of Economic Relations and Integration), and his team have been dedicated counterparts throughout the process. The contributions of Mónica Cepede, Octavio Ferreira, and especially Sebastián Ortiz and the staff of the Paraguayan Embassy in Paris in ensuring the smooth interaction between the OECD team and the Paraguayan authorities were particularly helpful. The support and inputs provided by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Well-being (MSPBS) led by Minister Julio Mazzoleni, were critical for the implementation of this review. The reactivity and dedication of Carolina Cáceres, Emiliano Fernández and especially Martha Peña (MSPBS) are gratefully acknowledged. The Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Carla Bacigalupo and her staff also contributed greatly to this review. The contributions of Mónica Recalde and her team are most gratefully acknowledged. The team also thanks Carmen Marín (Ministry of Finance), and Evelyn Alviso and Juan Pablo Servín (IPS) for useful inputs and discussions throughout the review.
The following ministries, agencies and institutions also provided useful inputs and contributions to the review: the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP), the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), the Ministry of Finance (MH), the Social Security Institute (IPS), the Technical Secretariat for Planning of Social and Economic Development (STP), the Superintendence for Health, and the Technical Unit of the Social Cabinet (UTGS). The team extends its gratitude to the Directorate-General for Surveys, Censuses and Statistics (DGEEC) and to the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security (MTESS) for providing household-level data used in this review.
The following individuals and organisations are also thanked for their inputs and engagement with the review process: Waldo Tapia (Inter-American Development Bank), the Panamerican Health Organisation, Luis Perez, Celia Ortega and Daniela Romero (the World Bank).
The team is grateful to the OECD Development Centre Communication and Publications Unit, especially Delphine Grandrieux, Aida Buendía and Elizabeth Nash for their support in editing, laying out and producing the report.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the OECD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union