Paraguay

Paid domestic work employs many women in developing countries. Paraguay where 94 percent of domestic workers are women and more than 90 percent of these jobs are informal represents an extreme case of a problem that is common throughout the globe. These workers lack access to social security and generally endure precarious working conditions. What are the different legal institutional social and gender barriers that prevent domestic workers from having greater access to social security? Drawing on different sources of data from Paraguay including the voices of both domestic workers and their employers this study shows how persistently low levels of social security coverage in this sector are a product of complex interlocking factors: discriminatory cultural and gender beliefs lack of accurate information and knowledge about social security the low bargaining power of informal domestic workers and the low capacity for labour inspection that prevail in the sector. Based on these observations the conclusions lay out guidelines to design integrated public policies for the sector’s formalization.

Undertaken by UNCTAD at the request of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIC) of Paraguay this review supports the role of services in diversifying and improving economy and trade in the country. It evaluates bottlenecks and opportunities to pursue development gains from services first presenting a related economic and trade assessment. It subsequently analyses Paraguay’s development strategies trade negotiations and other initiatives in services before offering detailed assessments on fluvial transport services and professional services associated with the construction sector. Finally it concludes with an analysis of cross-cutting and makes sectoral-specific policy recommendations.

This case study provides considerations related to the application of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and in particular the specific Guidelines for Application of the UNFC for uranium and thorium resources [1] to uranium projects carried out by the Uranium Energy Corporation (UEC) in Paraguay.

Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Paraguay regarding mutual assistance between their customs administrations. Asunción 19 December 2002