Paraguay: Economic Capacities and Opportunities for Social Inclusion

This Joint Programme worked with the government of Paraguay to overcome youth employment challenges and their impact on migration, and laid the foundation for the implementation of a national policy on youth employment. The primary focus was domestic workers and disadvantaged youth at risk of migrating.

The programme aimed to increase training and employment opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable youth through entrepreneurship, technical training schemes, the use of remittances and a greater respect for employment rights.

It also focused on strengthening national capacities, working with policies already in place and those that needed to be developed. Its goals were to:

1. Increase the capacity to generate income and employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable youth;
2. Improve conditions for the productive use of remittances and enhanced migrant awareness; and
3. Develop an approach to incorporate domestic workers into the strategy for youth employment. 

Main achievements included:

• Development of a youth employment policy with a gender perspective in the framework of the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction, which was developed with stakeholders at the National Bureau for the Generation of Youth Employment and adopted by the government.
• Creation of the Youth Employment Directorate within the Directorate of Employment, an organization created and strengthened to coordinate and integrate active policies aimed at youth and the formation of the National Youth Observatory in the Vice Ministry of Youth.
• Integrated programs aimed at disadvantaged youth, in the form of support for urban youth and rural productive enterprises, training services and business development (mentoring and technical assistance), financial services (microcredit) and university-based incubators.
• Development of policies on human trafficking and safe migration. During the programme, the Draft Law on Human Trafficking and the Regulation of the Migration Act were developed. The communication capacities of the Department of Services for Overseas Paraguayan Citizens were enhanced, with information on safe migration and migration processes. A Safe Migration Guide was developed.
• 2,000 young women accessed financial services to start their own businesses through the establishment of designated financial products public institutions and support networks.
• Improved recognition for the rights and training of domestic workers. The advocacy program resulted in the ratification of the ILO's Convention 189 on Domestic Work and of a resolution that extends health insurance coverage for domestic workers. In addition, the strategy on paid domestic work was incorporated into the youth employment strategy. Support centers for domestic workers were reinforced.