Paraguay’s Assistance Programme for Fishers in the National Territory
During the initial two days of the workshop, Paraguay introduced its Assistance Programme for Fishers in the National Territory (PROAP).
In Paraguay, fishing rights are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), while closed season regulations are set by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES). The MADES oversees registering fishers and granting commercial fishing licenses through the General Fishers Registry. The Ministry of Social Development (MDS) oversees implementing the PROAP and manages the Social Households registry, which is used by the PROAP's team during fieldwork as a tool to determine fishers poverty status and therefore, indicate their eligibility to the programme.
The significance of associations in supporting fishers’ registration process was highlighted as fishers have to be registered in one, or associated with one at the administrative level, to be able to access the PROAP. Fisher association presidents also play a key role in validating the fisher's information and their compliance with eligibility criteria.
Paraguay explained that they conducted changes to their eligibility criteria and process to access the PROAP, emphasizing a shift towards an assessment at the household level, rather than individual one. To be eligible for the PROAP, households must not exceed the income threshold and must have a commercial fishing license issued by MADES. Since the license is a pre-requisite to access the PROAP, the licenses' registry serves as the basis upon which a beneficiary list for the PROAP is created. Based on this, a dedicated team conduct fieldwork to validate the information of new fishers entering the registry and the PROAP.
Through the PROAP programme, fishers receive a subsidy during the closed seasons, the amount of which depends on the duration (between 45 and 90 days) and the size of the household. The national treasury finances the subsidy by the national treasury.
In addition, Paraguay highlighted training initiatives in 2018 conducted by the National Education and Vocational Training System (SINAFOCAL). These initiatives targeted both indigenous communities and non-indigenous fishers' associations.
Paraguay also highlighted that more work is needed to address gender inequality, as one of the challenges of the programme is the integration of women. Additionally, the program faces challenges such as the absence of an integrated system, reliance on manual processes, and issues around leadership and governance within associations.