Paraguay

Paraguay has a standing national mechanism entitled SIMORE Plus, an online tool for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of international human rights recommendations from both the Universal System (Treaty Bodies, UPR, Special Rapporteurs) and the Inter-American System (judgment points from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights). The tool is supported by an institutional framework and a dedicated secretariat.

INSTITUTIONAL SETUP

Paraguay has an NMIRF called SIMORE Plus, an online tool for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of international human rights recommendations from both the Universal System (Treaty Bodies, UPR, Special Rapporteurs) and the Inter-American System (judgment points from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights). SIMORE Plus links the monitoring of international human rights recommendations to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets.

The main legal instrument that establishes the mandate for SIMORE is Presidential. Decree no 4368, dated 9 November 2015.

Composition

This mechanism has national reach, operating through a network of approximately 170 focal points belonging to around 70 public institutions across the three branches of government and extra-governmental bodies, responsible for monitoring the recommendations assigned to their respective institutions. Focal points are responsible for uploading to the SIMORE Plus online platform the institutional actions aimed at implementing the recommendations within their competence.

Focal points are designated by the highest authorities of each institution according to internal administrative procedures to represent their institution. Each institution appoints the main and alternate focal points it deems necessary, as well as a validating authority. The duties of the focal points are specified in the SIMORE regulations.

Secretariat

The coordination and administration of SIMORE Plus is managed by the human rights departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, who work jointly and continuously to monitor the recommendations, convene ordinary and extraordinary meetings to support institutions in the implementation process within their organizations, and follow up and report on the recommendations through the platform.

Methods of work

SIMORE Plus' working methods are governed by a regulation that establishes the working methodologies (ordinary and extraordinary meetings), as well as a user manual that details the standard operating procedures, which thoroughly describe the steps to be followed to carry out each task within the platform efficiently. These regulations are available on this page in Spanish.

Regarding the report drafting process, the coordination and administration of SIMORE is responsible for coordinating the preparation of national reports, giving prominence to the national governing institutions in the subject matter.

Ordinary meetings are scheduled at the beginning of the year according to the established goals and commitments to be fulfilled during the year. The regulations establish a minimum of four ordinary annual meetings. Extraordinary meetings are scheduled as needed to address specific topics (responses to lists of issues, dialogues with committees, visits from rapporteurs, report dissemination, etc.). In ordinary meetings, all focal points from the institutions mentioned above participate, while in extraordinary meetings, only the institutions competent on the topic to be discussed participate. In extraordinary meetings for report dissemination, both the focal points and civil society organizations participate.

Training and institutional memory

Ongoing training is provided to the focal points both in human rights education and in the reporting and report preparation process. The mechanism for appointing main and alternate focal points supports the continuity of knowledge when there is staff turnover.

MANDATE

The mandate of SIMORE Plus includes:

• Presentation of reports to UN human rights mechanisms (treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review)
• Response to communications (letters of allegations, urgent appeals, questionnaires) from UN Special Procedures and organization of visits from Special Procedures
• Presentation of reports and monitoring of other processes, including those related to the 2030 Agenda (SDGs)
• Follow-up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms (Special Procedures, treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review)
• Implementation of recommendations from human rights mechanisms (including contributions to legislative changes)
• Human rights education and training
• Advocacy and promotion

SIMORE Plus engages with both the international and regional human rights system.

Process for preparing state reports

• Reception of new recommendations or List of Issues: The Coordination calls a meeting of the network of focal points to review, analyze, and assign the responsible institution to then incorporate them into SIMORE Plus for monitoring or response, as appropriate. The focal points are responsible for providing information in the system about actions carried out by their respective institutions.
• Collection of information and report drafting: The Coordination collects and systematizes the information provided by the focal points to use it in drafting the report. The drafting itself falls to the lead institution on the main subject of the report, provided such an institution exists within the State structure, working with the Coordination; if not, the Coordination itself is responsible for drafting.
• Validation of the draft report: The first draft of the report is shared with the involved institutions for validation and adjustments according to their respective competences. This procedure can be conducted in person or by circulation via email.
• Report dissemination: The SIMORE Plus regulations foresee a phase for dissemination of state reports, in addition to the OSC Plus module which allows organized civil society to provide comments on the follow-up information to the recommendations provided by the focal points on the platform.
• Submission of the report: Once validated and disseminated, the report is sent to the respective mechanism through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The scheduling of meetings responds to the State’s commitments in the preparation and submission processes of reports throughout the year. Each report preparation process has its activity schedule that includes the steps to follow (information systematization, report upload, validation, and dissemination), taking into account variables and/or setbacks that may arise during this process.

COORDINATION

Coordination between focal points is carried out through the SIMORE Plus Network.

Linkages with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals

The processes for preparing Voluntary National Reports are led by Paraguay Interinstitutional SDG Commission, and SIMORE Plus provides close collaboration by generating useful inputs for the preparation of the Voluntary National Report through the collection of concrete information related to progress made on human rights recommendations linked to the SDGs and their targets.

Each human rights recommendation in SIMORE Plus is linked to one or more SDGs, so that institutions, while carrying out actions regarding a recommendation, contribute to progress on the 2030 Agenda. In this context, the Paraguay Interinstitutional SDG Commission uses the data available in SIMORE Plus as follow-up reports on human rights recommendations, which, being linked to the SDGs, generate information that enriches the process of preparing the Voluntary National Reports.

Likewise, within the framework of the process for preparing periodic reports to international human rights protection mechanisms, the information contained in the SDG monitoring platform has the potential to enrich the state reports prepared based on the follow-up data uploaded to SIMORE Plus.

Communication channel with the National Statistics Office

The National Institute of Statistics is part of the SIMORE Plus Network of Focal Points and plays a fundamental role in the report preparation process. Additionally, it provides all institutions with the basis for designing efficient public policies aimed at implementing recommendations, obligations, and commitments in human rights.

Communication channel with the Parliament

The Legislative Branch is part of the SIMORE Plus Network of Focal Points. It has areas of exclusive SIMORE competence, such as the SIMORE Technical Directorate of the Chamber of Deputies and the SIMORE Coordination Units of the Chamber of Senators. Its main role is to communicate to the relevant legislative committee the recommendations related to its area, to monitor the implementation process of the recommendations, and to report in SIMORE Plus on the bills presented and laws enacted in reference to each recommendation.

Communication channel with the Judiciary

The Judicial Branch is part of the NMIRF. Through a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice, the use of the mechanism was incorporated into judicial management. There are two working areas within the Judicial Branch that handle the implementation, monitoring, and reporting of recommendations: the Human Rights Directorate and the Gender Secretariat. These coordinate actions with other departments of the Judicial Branch to collect information on measures taken for implementation.

CONSULTATION

Paraguay's SIMORE Plus includes the OSC Plus module, which enables citizen participation by offering an easy-to-access and secure virtual platform where organizations can register, log in to comment on follow-up reports, and interact with administrators and focal points responsible for the information published in the system, in a cutting-edge exercise in transparency and accountability.

Additionally, the SIMORE Plus regulations establish a mandatory phase for socializing state reports prior to their submission to human rights bodies or mechanisms, so that civil society’s comments and observations can be considered by the State.

SIMORE Plus has an information technology platform in which each focal point must report the follow-up on each recommendation assigned to their institution. The Coordination collects and systematizes the information provided by the focal points through the SIMORE Plus platform to use it in the drafting of the report.

In the meetings of the focal points network, in addition to monitoring, discussions also address the implementation of recommendations, highlighting that the national mechanism is not only activated when a report must be submitted, but rather regular follow-up meetings are scheduled to promote implementation and ensure continuous monitoring.

Paraguay has adopted a number of action plans to implement its human rights obligations:

• National Development Plan 2030
• 4th National Equality Plan (IV PlaNI) 2018-2024
• National Action Plan on Population and Development, currently being updated for 2023-2027
• Social Protection System Vamos!
• National Poverty Reduction Plan
• National Employment Plan 2022-2026
• Equality, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination Plan for the Public Sector 2020-2024
• National Health Policy 2015-2030
• Guide to Guarantee Access to Justice for All Persons Without Discrimination in Paraguay
• National Policy on Childhood and Adolescence 2014–2024
• National Public Policy Plan for Indigenous Peoples
• National Action Plan on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2015-2030
• National Policy on Older Persons of Paraguay (currently being socialized)
• National Migration Policy
• National Plan for the Prevention and Combat of Human Trafficking
• National Care Policy of Paraguay (PNCUPA) to 2030, approved by the Social Cabinet of the Presidency on 12/22/2022
• National Gender Plan related to Climate Change to 2030 (MADES), approved in the extraordinary session of the National Climate Change Commission on 02/08/2023

Unidad General de Derechos Humanos del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Paraguay. Correo: ddhh@mre.gov.py

https://www.mre.gov.py/simoreplus/