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Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117) - Paraguay (RATIFICATION: 1969)

1. The Committee notes the pilot community development project (PRODECO) and the ABRAZO programme for children and young persons. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the progress achieved in the implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty and the PRODECO and ABRAZO programmes with a view to ensuring that full effect is given to the provisions of Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, under the terms of which “all policies shall be primarily directed to the well-being and development of the population”.

2. Part III of the Convention. Migrant workers. In reply to the previous comments, the Government indicates in the report received in October 2007 that there has been an increase in the number of persons emigrating from the country, mainly to Spain. Most of the migrants have received vocational or university training and send remittances to their relatives in Paraguay. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures adopted to ensure that the terms and conditions of employment of migrant workers within and outside the national territory take account of their family needs and facilitate the remittance of their wages and savings (Articles 6–9 and 14(3)). The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the difficulties involved in preventing abusive practices in relation to migrant workers and emphasizes the urgency of affording effective protection to this particularly vulnerable category of workers. In this respect, the Government may also refer to the ILO Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration, of March 2006, which is intended to improve the effectiveness of policies relating to migration for employment.

3. Part VI. Education and training. The Committee notes the information received in November 2008 on the restructuring of formal vocational training and the measures to encourage non-formal vocational training. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted for the progressive development of a broad system of education, vocational training and apprenticeship and the manner in which the teaching of new production techniques have been organized as part of the social policy giving effect to the Convention.