PARAGUAY
Paraguay’s first and only NAP was launched in December 2015 to cover five years. There does not appear to be an updated NAP in progress.
Objectives of Paraguay’s 2015 NAP:
There are four objectives, each supported by a list of activities to be undertaken:
- Increase the participation of women in institutional decision-making with regard to peace and conflict resolution processes.
- Mainstream gender in all areas related to peace processes and conflict resolution.
- Foster the culture of peace to prevent situations of conflict, with the active participation of women.
- Establish effective coordination on an interinstitutional, intersectoral and international level in order to perform joint actions, implement and evaluate Resolution 1325/00.
A matrix at the end of the NAP sets out which Ministry is responsible for implementation, with indicators for monitoring progress.
Commentary:
Although women in Paraguay generally enjoy the same rights as men, all forms of violence against women are prevalent and a major human security issue. This includes high rates of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and femicide (the killing of women due to their gender). Although legal frameworks have been established to address these problems, implementation and enforcement are inconsistent.
Civil society involvement in development of the NAP:
The NAP does not mention that civil society was involved in the development; nor are they mentioned in relation to implementation or monitoring of the plan.
UN Peacekeeping Statistics:
At September 2023, Paraguay was contributing personnel to UN peacekeeping missions:
Women in peacekeeping:
The Introduction to the NAP refers to Paraguay’s past conflicts and “the value of women and their eagerness both to defend the homeland and to rebuild it.” It goes on to refer to national statutes relating to recruitment of women into the military and admission to the Military Academy.
From the statistics above it is clear that women have been well deployed in peacekeeping missions.
References and sources:
Paraguay’s NAP (in Spanish): Paraguay’s NAP
Paraguay’s NAP (unofficial translation into English) Paraguay-NAP-2015-English-translation-DP160100212.pdf (wpsnaps.org)
United Nations Peacekeeping (Sept 2023) https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/troop-and-police-contributors
Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (Sept 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country
