Paraguay - The President of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Velázquez Moreno, and the IOM Head of Office in Paraguay, Richard Velázquez, have signed a cooperation agreement to allow closer collaboration concerning matters of mutual interest in the field of migration.

The agreement foresees areas of cooperation leading to the elaboration of joint proposals to carry out actions concerning current migration laws and regulations, such as the creation of a migration policy for Paraguay, as well as the updating of migration laws.

The agreement will also provide for coordinated action and maximize cooperation between both parties, with the purpose of achieving common goals regarding migration.

Richard Velázquez highlighted the importance of the agreement in improving migrants’ welfare. He also underlined the importance of working with Paraguayan migrants abroad. Some 12 per cent of Paraguayans currently live and work outside the country.

Hugo Velázquez thanked IOM for its cooperation and stressed the importance of implementing a Migration Policy to benefit migrants. Paraguay´s migration regime is currently embodied in the outdated Law 978/96, which focuses on security issues and was introduced by a previous authoritarian regime.

This is the second agreement that IOM has signed in South America aimed at supporting the highest national legislative body on migration-related matters. The first agreement was signed with the National Assembly of Ecuador last March.

For further information, please contact Eduardo Carrillo at IOM Paraguay, Tel. +595 981 50 90 20 Email: ecarrillo@iom.int Slovakia Sends Humanitarian Aid to Earthquake Affected Population in Nepal