Paraguay

Paraguay
State type
Unitary
Type of government
República Presidencial
Branches
Legislative
Judicial
Executive
Administrative Division

National Level

Gobierno Central

Intermediate/Regional Level

Departamentos 17

Local Level

Municipios 262

Ciudad Capital 1

National Urban Policy

  • The National Urbanism, Housing, and Habitat Policy of Paraguay (PNUVH) is the result of the update and adaptation of the former National Housing and Habitat Policy of Paraguay, in order to align it with the provisions of Law No. 6152/18, “Which Creates the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and Habitat (MUVH) and Establishes Its Organic Charter.”

    This National Policy aims to establish guidelines to ensure the sustainable development of the territory, within the framework of the current legal provisions. It was formulated under the premise that housing is a fundamental human right and that citizens’ needs must be addressed in an integrated manner, promoting inclusive and sustainable spaces to improve quality of life.

    The PNUVH is structured around three thematic pillars: Governance and Institutional Framework, Planning and Design, and Economic and Financial. Each pillar includes a set of strategic objectives and lines of action that identify the most relevant aspects to be addressed in urbanism, housing, and habitat in the country’s current context, providing guidelines for the effective use of resources toward the coordinated, democratic, and sustainable development of the national territory. (Page 2)

    PNUVH
    National urban policy type:
    Explicit
    Policy temporality:
    Long-term
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  • Urban municipal financing system of Paraguay

    Paraguay is a unitary republic composed of three levels of government: national, departmental and municipal. Local governments, although subject to the plans of the central government, have administrative autonomy. It was during the 1990s, with the adjustments to the Constitution, that the municipalities began to democratically elect their authorities and move towards a gradual decentralization.  

    The participation of local governments in financial management and decisions is limited with a strong presence of the central government, however, the municipalities have a central administrative role. Their main revenues come from real estate taxes and road patents. In recent years, government transfers have become more important in municipal revenues, especially for those with lower incomes.

    The departments, like the municipalities, have relative autonomy, concentrated in administrative matters, and do not exercise direct responsibility for the collection of their resources.

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  • Urban planning system of Paraguay

    In recent years Paraguay has worked on land use planning and urban development at different administrative levels. The executive power institutions such as the Secretary of the Environment and the Technical Secretary of Planning are responsible for proposing national instruments. Much of the work of territorial planning in Paraguay is develop at the local level through the Urban and Territorial Planning Plans and the Municipal Plans for Sustainable Development.

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Urban Rights

Documents

English