Bridging the Gap works toward inclusion in Paraguay

Around 100 people shared knowledge and good practices on the most relevant approaches to the generation and disaggregation of data and indicators for the inclusion of people with disabilities. They came together at the training workshop that Bridging the Gap, funded by the European Union and managed by FIIAPP, held in Paraguay in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (SAIDC).

Throughout the day at the Juan de Salazar Spanish Cultural Centre in Asunción, experts in disability, data and statistics presented different statistical approaches to supporting institutions and organisations in their commitment to compliance with Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The experts included Yolanda Barrios, from the Directorate of Social and Demographic Statistics of Paraguay; Antonio Jiménez, from the State Disability Observatory of Spain; and Catherinne Pedreros, from the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The workshop “Generation of Data and Indicators for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities ” was inaugurated by the Minister of the National Secretariat for the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SENADIS), accompanied by the Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation, the general coordinator of Cooperación Española in Paraguay and the project director on behalf of FIIAPP.

Mario Marecos, representative of the National Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CONADIS), also highlighted the structural value of Bridging the Gap: “Today is a historic day because we are investing in public policies, in inclusion, not assistance”. Alina Orrico, from the Evalúa project that promotes the evaluation of public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighted as “key” the mainstreaming of disability during her presentation.

Bridging the Gap in Paraguay

This activity also served to raise awareness of Bridging the Gap in the country, focusing especially on the generation of data and its application in inclusive policies. In Paraguay, the project supports, among other activities, the creation of quantifiable indicators and targets for the National Action Plan for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2015-2030. In addition, it will support the production of data related to the right to inclusive education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science.