Presentation of the Project

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly impulse the Project “Social Expenditure in the Budget”, which seeks that Paraguayan men and women have simple, accessible and transparent information about the Social Expenditure in the National Budget.

By having this information the citizens may effectively demand the compliance of their economic, social and cultural rights, as well as generate debate and reach agreements about the budget priorities, making resources be oriented to improving their living conditions and promoting development.

Social Expenditure in Paraguay and Latin America

How much is the Social Public Expenditure in our country currently?

- Our annual average Social Expenditure is of 140 dollars per inhabitant, while in Latin America it is of 696 dollars.
- We annually invest 66 dollars per inhabitant on education, while the average in Latin America is of 169 dollars.
- We annually invest 19 dollars on the health of each inhabitant, while the average in Latin America is of 133 dollars.

We are not talking about Europe, or about other countries that are much richer or more developed than ours, but of our neighboring countries. However, we are quite behind considering what is invested on people today. Although the Social expenditure increased in the 80’s and 90’s, it has been decreasing since the year 2000. That is the reason for the existing gap between our reality and the Millenium Development Goals.

Is it possible to obtain resources to revert the current situation?
Yes. These resources may come from an increase of the incomes of the public sector, destined to promote social priority services to the population, as well as from a redeployment of resources of the National Budget. For that purpose it is fundamental to have appropriate information that would help to make the best decisions.

STRATEGIES

How would the Project of “Social Expenditure in the Budget” contribute?

The Project focuses on giving an answer to the need of having systematic and accessible information regarding the Social Public Expenditure. It develops the following strategies for that purpose:

a) Construction of a base of reliable and updated information about the structure and execution of the National Budget.

b) Ongoing follow-up on the budget allotment and execution in fundamental social aspects, which constitute what we call Priority Social Expenditure:

- Reduction of extreme poverty
- Battle against chronic malnutrition
- Coverage of basic education
- Primary attention to health
- Coverage of drinking water

c) Analysis of the Social Expenditure impact on the living conditions of people, in the short, medium and long term.

d) Spreading of information on the structure and execution of the National Budget and the Social Expenditure, as well as their impact on the compliance with basic social goals. This spreading is done through several channels, such as: publications, web page, events, presentations and direct inquiries, means of communication.

COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT
Social Expenditure in the Social Budget

Technical Committee
- Walter Mendonça Filho
- Ricardo Yorg
- Jorge Mendez
- Eduardo Gallardo

Technical Coordinator
- Julio Manuel Fernández Frutos

Technical Assistant
- Andrés Osorio

Communication Advisor
- Rocío Galiano Marés

Supporting Assistant
- Marcos Fretes