On Monday December 22nd , in the Executive Lounge of Granados Park Hotel, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented to the Minister of Interior, Francisco de Vargas,  the document "Migration Policy of Paraguay’s Republic”, a project in which work has been conducted over the past months within the context of the long migration tradition in Paraguay, and the need of a human rights and gender perspective for migration in Paraguay.

The development of the Migration Policy Document is the first component of the project "Strengthening of Paraguay’s Migration Management System " – implemented with the technical and financial support from the IOM Development Fund – also takes into account the reform of the Migration Act (based on the Migration Policy Document as a roadmap) and the submission of a proposal to modernize migration management in operational and technological terms.

With the joint effort of the National Team of Migration Policy, in which over 43 institutions from the executive, legislative and judiciary bodies, civil society institutions and academic centers took part, the Migration Policy Document was prepared, incorporating principles of equality, social equity and gender, intergenerational equity and comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, the principle of non-discrimination and respect for cultural diversity, and reciprocity.

The General Director of Migration, Jorge Kronawetter described having a Migration Policy as one of the "urgent needs" of the country. "There must be a vision that goes beyond a government period. We believe that we need to set policies that transcend time and set what we want as a country regarding the phenomena of human mobility" said the Director.

Richard Velazquez, Head of IOM Mission in Paraguay, mentioned the important role of the National Team of Migration Policy throughout the review process, evaluation and validation of the document, and stressed the importance of the document from a rights’ perspective.

"The proposal is based on the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the National Constitution which are: the right to migrate, the right not to migrate, translated into civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights that protect all persons who live in and pass through the country territory".

Furthermore, he stressed the political leadership of the government authorities to present the migration policy, thanked the Minister of Interior for his work towards the recognition of all migrants in the country, and stressed that through his efforts the approval of the Migration Policy by the Republic President would be achieved, all of which contributes to advancing the development of a new Migration Act for Paraguay.

For his part, the Minister of Interior, Francisco de Vargas stressed the importance of migration in terms of internal security, public safety and national security and thanked the team of IOM specialists for all the work done during these months.

"I feel proud and I cannot forget to thank the IOM, consultants and all representatives who have worked very hard on this document."

The document, prepared in compliance with approved standards process, will be submitted for consideration before the President by the Minister of Interior.

For more information, please contact:

Eduardo Carrillo
Press Assistant- International Organization for Migration- Paraguay
Email: ecarrillo@iom.int
Cell Phone Number: +595 981-50-90-20
Phone Number: +595 21-296-882

or

Rocío Tabakman
Institutional Communication Assistance- International Migration Office- Paraguay
Email: rtabakman@iom.int
Cell Phone Number: +595 981-71-27-90
Phone Number: +59521-615-670