Multi-dimensional Country Reviews are the result of a collaborative effort of the OECD and the country under review. Work on the first phase of the MDCR of Paraguay was carried out jointly by the OECD Development Centre, the OECD Economics Department and the OECD Statistics Directorate, with support from the Technical Secretariat for Economic and Social Development Planning of Paraguay (Secretaría Técnica de Planificación del Desarrollo Económico y Social, STP).
Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development and Special Counsellor to the Secretary-General on Development, guided the review, with contributions from Martine Durand, OECD Chief Statistician and Catherine Mann, OECD Chief Economist. The Multi-dimensional Country Review process is led by Jan Rieländer, Head of the MDCR Unit. Marco Mira d’Ercole, Head of Household Statistics and Progress Measurement in the OECD Statistics Directorate, and Patrick Lenain, Assistant Director at the OECD Economics Department, provided supervision.
The review was co-ordinated by Juan Ramón de Laiglesia (OECD Development Centre) and drafted by Rolando Avendaño (OECD Development Centre), Tim Bulman (OECD Development Centre), Mabel Gabriel (OECD Economics Department), Santiago González (OECD Statistics Directorate), and Juan R. de Laiglesia (OECD Development Centre). Deirdre Culley (OECD Development Centre) managed the workshop “Paraguay: Future, challenges and global environment” held in Asunción on 23 March 2017 and provided significant inputs to the report. The review also benefited from contributions made by Juan Carlos Benítez (Inter-American Development Bank), Céline Colin (OECD Development Centre), Adrien Moutel (OECD Economics Department), Carine Viac (OECD Development Centre), and Koffi Zougbede (PARIS21, OECD Statistics Directorate). William Herrera (OECD Development Centre), Toma Savitki (OECD Development Centre) and Astrid Pineda (OECD Development Centre) provided excellent research assistance.
The team is grateful for insightful comments provided by Martha Baxter (OECD Development Centre), Jorge Carbonell (OECD Global Relations Secretariat), David Goessmann (OECD Governance Directorate), José Rene Orozco (OECD Development Centre) and Katherine Scrivens (OECD Statistics Directorate) as well as by participants in the revision sessions held on 4 and 5 July in Asunción. The report incorporates remarks made during the review of the report by the Mutual Learning Group for Multi-dimensional Country Reviews on its meeting held 24 October 2017. The review was led by Marcelo Scaglione (Undersecretary of State and representative to the OECD, Argentina) and Paulo Areosa Feio (Counsellor, Portuguese delegation to the OECD). The team is also grateful for boxes and contributions from OECD colleagues, including Catalina Covacevich (Education and Skills Directorate).
The Multi-dimensional Country Review of Paraguay is made possible by the financial contribution of the European Union. The team extends its gratitude to the Delegation of the European Union to Paraguay for its support throughout the process and the insights of its staff into the development of Paraguay.
The Review benefited greatly from the support of Minister José Molinas Vega, Executive Secretary of the Technical Secretariat for Economic and Social Development Planning (STP) of Paraguay, and his staff. Emiliano Fernández (Deputy Minister of the STP) and his team have been valuable counterparts throughout the process. The contributions of Claudia Martínez, Marcos Martínez, and Federico Sosa were particularly valuable for ensuring the pertinence of the report and continuous interaction between the OECD team and Paraguayan authorities. The team is also grateful to Florencia Villalba, Director for Territorial Development, for her efforts to acquaint them with the regions of Paraguay, and to Carlos Alberto Giménez, mayor of Carayaó, and Carlos Giménez, mayor of Choré, for their hospitality. The team extends its gratitude to the Directorate-General for Surveys, Censuses and Statistics (DGEEC), and to Elizabeth Barrios, Director-general of DGEEC and her staff for providing primary data used in this report and completing the questionnaire used for the assessment of statistical capacity, and to the Central Bank of Paraguay for providing data and information on their statistical practices. Other ministries and institutions provided useful inputs and contributions to the review throughout the production of this report, namely the Ministry of Finance, its State Secretariat for Tax Administration, its Under-Secretariat for Economy and their staff, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Health and Social Well-Being (MSPBS), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MTESS), the Ministry of Public Works (MOPC), the Ministry for Women, the National Anti-Corruption Secretariat (SENAC), the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the National Competition Council (CNC), the National Development Bank (BNF), the National Directorate for Public Procurement (DNCP), the National Electrical Administration (ANDE), the National Land and Rural Development Institute (INDERT), the National Secretariat for Tourism (SENATUR), the National Secretariat for Youth and Adolescence (SNNA), the National Securities Commission (CNV), the Secretariat for the Environment (SEAM), the Secretariat for Housing (SENAVITAT), the Secretariat for Public Administration (SFP), the Secretariat for Social Action (SAS), and the Social Security Institute (IPS).
Other institutions, agencies, international organisations and members of civil society and academia also provided support though inputs and discussion on the review. The National Country Strategy Team (ENEP), its co-ordinator, Jacinto Santa María, and its members are thanked for their inputs and participation in the participatory process of the review. The review also received valuable insights from the Association of Paraguayan Banks (ASOBAN), the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (AMPYME), the Chamber of Paraguayan Exporters (CAPEX), the Center for Analysis and Diffusion of the Paraguayan Economy (CADEP), Continental, Gladys Banegas, Investor, Itaú Bank, Martha La Fuente, the National Chamber of Commerce and Services (CNCSP), the National Workers Confederation (CNT), Oxfam, the Paraguayan Centre for Information and Resources (CIRD) and the Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP), the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, and the World Bank.
The team is grateful for Stephen Jessel for editing the manuscript and to the OECD Development Centre’s Communications and Publications Unit, especially Delphine Grandrieux, Aida Buendía, Elizabeth Nash and Vanda Lintott, for their support in editing, laying out and producing the report.
* This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the OECD Development Centre and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.