REPUBLIC of PARAGUAY US$600,000,000 5.000% Bonds Due 2026

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

REPUBLIC of PARAGUAY US$600,000,000 5.000% Bonds Due 2026 OFFERING MEMORANDUM REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY US$600,000,000 5.000% Bonds due 2026 We are offering US$600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 5.000% bonds due 2026 (the “Bonds”) of the Republic of Paraguay (the “Republic” or “Paraguay”) that will bear interest on their outstanding principal amount from the date of issuance, expected to be March 31, 2016 (the “Settlement Date”), at a rate of 5.000%, payable semi-annually (other than the first interest period) in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year (each, an “Interest Payment Date”), commencing on October 15, 2016 and ending on April 15, 2026 (the “Maturity Date”). The Bonds constitute and will constitute direct, general, unconditional and unsubordinated External Debt (as defined herein) of the Republic for which the full faith and credit of the Republic is pledged. The Bonds rank and will rank without any preference among themselves and equally with all other unsubordinated External Debt of the Republic. It is understood that this provision shall not be construed so as to require the Republic to make payments under the Bonds ratably with payments being made under any other External Debt. The Bonds will contain provisions, commonly known as “collective action clauses.” Under these provisions, which differ from the terms of our external debt issued prior to the date hereof, we may amend the payment provisions of any series of debt securities issued under the indenture (including the Bonds) and other reserved matters listed in the indenture with the consent of the holders of: (1) with respect to a single series of debt securities, more than 75% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series; (2) with respect to two or more series of debt securities, if certain “uniformly applicable” requirements are met, more than 75% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series affected by the proposed modification, taken in the aggregate; or (3) with respect to two or more series of debt securities, more than 66 ⅔% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series affected by the proposed modification, taken in the aggregate, and more than 50% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the proposed modification, taken individually. See “Description of the Bonds—Meetings, Amendments and Waivers—Collective Action.” Application has been made to list the Bonds on the Official List of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and to have the Bonds trade on the Euro MTF Market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 to read about important factors you should consider before investing in the Bonds. The Bonds have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act (“Regulation S”)) unless the Bonds are registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws is available. The Bonds are being offered and sold in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act (“Rule 144A”) and outside the United States to persons that are not U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S. For a description of certain restrictions on transfer of the Bonds, see “Notice to Investors” and “Transfer Restrictions.” Public Price: 99.997% plus accrued interest, if any, from March 31, 2016. Delivery of the Bonds in book-entry form will be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and its direct and indirect participants, including Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (“Euroclear”) and Clearstream Banking, Luxembourg, société anonyme (“Clearstream”) on March 31, 2016. Joint Book-Runners: BofA Merrill Lynch Itaú BBA The date of this Offering Memorandum is March 23, 2016. -ii- Paraguay has provided you only with the information contained in this Offering Memorandum. Paraguay has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. Paraguay is not, and the Initial Purchasers (as defined under “Plan of Distribution”) are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this Offering Memorandum is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this Offering Memorandum. TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTICE TO INVESTORS ......................................................................................................................................... IV CONVENTIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... VI CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING PROJECTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................... VIII OFFERING MEMORANDUM SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 1 RISK FACTORS ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 USE OF PROCEEDS .................................................................................................................................................. 20 REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY ..................................................................................................................................... 21 THE PARAGUAYAN ECONOMY ........................................................................................................................... 28 BALANCE OF PAYMENTS AND FOREIGN TRADE ............................................................................................ 57 MONETARY SYSTEM .............................................................................................................................................. 69 PUBLIC SECTOR FINANCES .................................................................................................................................. 85 PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT ........................................................................................................................................... 98 DESCRIPTION OF THE BONDS ............................................................................................................................ 110 TAX CONSIDERATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 127 PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION ...................................................................................................................................... 131 TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 138 SERVICE OF PROCESS AND ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES ......................................................... 141 OFFICIAL STATEMENTS AND DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................... 142 VALIDITY OF THE BONDS ................................................................................................................................... 143 AUTHORIZED AGENT ........................................................................................................................................... 144 GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................... 145 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................................... 146 -iii- NOTICE TO INVESTORS The Bonds will be available in book-entry form only. Paraguay expects that the Bonds sold pursuant to this Offering Memorandum will be issued in the form of one or more global certificates, which will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC and registered in its name or in the name of Cede & Co., its nominee. Beneficial interests in the global certificates will be shown on, and transfers of the global certificates will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC and its participants, including Euroclear and Clearstream. After the initial issuance of the global certificates, Bonds in certificated form will be issued in exchange for the global certificates only as set forth in the indenture governing the Bonds. See “Book-Entry, Delivery and Form.” This Offering Memorandum does not constitute an offer of or an invitation by or on behalf of Paraguay or the Initial Purchasers to subscribe or purchase, any of the Bonds in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale would not be permitted or is not authorized. The distribution of this Offering Memorandum and the offering of the Bonds in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. People in possession of this Offering Memorandum are required by Paraguay and the Initial Purchasers to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. The Bonds offered in
Recommended publications
  • The 1996 Institutional Crisis in Paraguay
    Democratic Forum The 1996 Institutional Crisis in Paraguay September 1996 Washington, D.C. Secretary General César Gaviria Assistant Secretary General Christopher R. Thomas Executive Coordinator, Unit for the Promotion of Democracy Elizabeth M. Spehar This publication is part of a series of publications of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS). Opinions and statements expressed are not necessarily those of the OAS or its member states, and are entirely the responsibility of the parties expressing them. Democratic Forum The institutional crisis of April 22 to 24, 1996, in Paraguay, from the perspective of the Government, civil society, and the international community Unit for the Promotion of Democracy This report is an edited version of the original transcripts, produced under the technical supervision of Mr. Diego Paz, Senior Specialist of the UPD, and Coordinator of this Forum. Professor Riordan Roett contributed with the summary and comments included in this issue. Design and composition of this publication was done by the Information and Dialogue Section headed by Mr. John Murray of the UPD. Mrs. Betty Robinson and Mrs. Judith Horvath- Rouco helped with the final editing of this report, and JNA Design was responsible for the graphic design. Copyright @ 1997. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material is authorized; please credit it as Aa publication of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States@. Table of contents Preface..........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Services Policy Review of Paraguay
    UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES POLICY REVIEW PARAGUAY UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES POLICY REVIEW PARAGUAY ii SERVICES POLICY REVIEW OF PARAGUAY NOTE The symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. The views expressed in this volume are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Secretariat or of the government of Paraguay. The designations employed and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic system or degree of development. Material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, but acknowledgement is requested, together with a copy of the publication containing the quotation or reprint to be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat. This publication has been edited externally. For further information on the Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch and its activities, please contact: Ms. Mina MASHAYEKHI Head Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch Division of International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities Tel: +41 22 917 56 40 Fax: +41 22 917 00 44 www.unctad.org/tradenegotiations UNCTAD/DITC/TNCD/2014/2 © Copyright United Nations 2014 All rights reserved. Printed in Switzerland ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication presents the result of a Services Policy Review (SPR) undertaken by the government of Paraguay in collaboration with UNCTAD.
    [Show full text]
  • Paraguay (From Wikipedia)
    Paraguay (from Wikipedia) Paraguay (/ˈpærəɡwaɪ/; Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaˈɣwaj]; Guarani: Paraguái, [paɾaˈɰwaj]), officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay; Guarani: Tetã Paraguái), is a landlocked country in central South America, bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as Corazón de Sudamérica ("Heart of South America").[9] Paraguay is one of the two landlocked countries (the other is Bolivia) outside Afro-Eurasia, and is the smallest[10] landlocked country in the Americas. The indigenous Guaraní had been living in eastern Paraguay for at least a millennium before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Western Paraguay, the Gran Chaco, was inhabited by nomads of whom the Guaycuru peoples were the most prominent. In the 17th century, Jesuit missions introduced Christianity and Spanish culture to the region. Paraguay was a peripheral colony of the Spanish Empire, with few urban centers and settlers. Following independence from Spain in 1811, Paraguay was ruled by a series of dictators who generally implemented isolationist and protectionist policies. Following the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870), the country lost 60 to 70 percent of its population through war and disease, and about 140,000 square kilometers (54,000 sq mi), one quarter of its territory, to Argentina and Brazil. Through the 20th century, Paraguay continued to endure a succession of authoritarian governments, culminating in the regime of Alfredo Stroessner, who led South America's longest- lived military dictatorship from 1954 to 1989.
    [Show full text]
  • EUDO Citizenship Observatory
    EUDO CITIZENSHIP OBSERVATORY REPORT ON CITIZENSHIP LAW: PARAGUAY Elisa Brey March 2016 P I H S N E Z I T I C http://eudo-citizenship.eu European University Institute, Florence Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies EUDO Citizenship Observatory Report on Citizenship Law: Paraguay Elisa Brey March2016 EUDO Citizenship Observatory Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in collaboration with Edinburgh University Law School Country Report, RSCAS/EUDO-CIT-CR 2016/3 Badia Fiesolana, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy © 2016 Elisa Brey This text may be downloaded only for personal research purposes. Additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copies or electronically, requires the consent of the authors. Requests should be addressed to [email protected] The views expressed in this publication cannot in any circumstances be regarded as the official position of the European Union Published in Italy European University Institute Badia Fiesolana I – 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) Italy www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Publications/ www.eui.eu cadmus.eui.eu Research for the EUDO Citizenship Observatory Country Reports has been jointly supported by the European Commission grant agreement JLS/2007/IP/CA/009 EUCITAC and by the British Academy Research Project CITMODES (both projects co-directed by the EUI and the University of Edinburgh). The financial support from these projects is gratefully acknowledged. For information about the Project please visit the project website at http://eudo-citizenship.eu Report on Citizenship Law Paraguay Elisa Brey 1. Introduction The First Republic of Paraguay was established after the proclamation of independence in 1811. In the War of the Triple Alliance, which ended in 1870, Paraguay was defeated by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Government Action Plan July 2014 to June 2016
    OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP PARAGUAY FINAL SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT OF THE 2nd OPEN GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAN JULY 2014 TO JUNE 2016 FINAL DOCUMENT 1 SUMMARY The Republic of Paraguay completed the Second Open Government Action Plan 2014-2016 on June 30, 2016 having fulfilled its 9th Commitments. Below are a description of all the Commitments of the Open Government Action Plan 2014-2016 with a summary of its results. Commitment 1. Enactment or Promulgation and implementation of the Law on Access to Public Information. The Law No. 5282/2014 on Open Citizen Access to Public Information & Government Transparency and Decree No. 4064/2015 ensure the effective exercise of the right on access to public information through the implementation of the respective modalities, deadlines, exceptions and sanctions. Offices of Access to Public Information were created and are up and running in different institutions. To June 2016 a Unified Portal for Access to Public Information (www.informacionpublica.gov.py) centralizes over 1,300 requests for access to information and includes over 80 government institutions that have joined the Unified Portal. The law triggered cases of corruption and nepotism at all levels and in all Branches of the Government. The press named this process “the information spring". Commitment 2. Design and implementation of an open data policy and the promotion of capacity building for the use of open data among the civil society. The Portal of the Open Data Catalog (www.datos.gov.py) provides simple, open and dynamic access to open government data by any citizen, institution, business and civil servant. Relevant data sets relating to education, health, procurement, housing, culture and finances were made available.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy and Representation in Paraguay
    PA rtecipazione e CO nflitto * The Open Journal of Sociopolitical Studies http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco ISSN: 1972-7623 (print version) ISSN: 2035-6609 (electronic version) PACO, Issue 10(1) 2017: 65-88 DOI: 10.1285/i20356609v10i1p65 Published in March 15, 2017 Work licensed under a Creative Commons At- tribution-Non commercial-Share alike 3.0 Italian License RESEARCH ARTICLE DEMOCRACY AND REPRESENTATION IN PARAGUAY Liliana Rocío Duarte-Recalde University of Hradek Králové, Czech Republic ABSTRACT: This article reviews the electoral accountability dimension as a constitutive mechanism of Par- aguayan democracy since 1989, analyzing the factors that limit the representation contained in the admin- istration of the Paraguayan government as a result of the electoral process. We provide an analytic con- trast between the democratic principles that guide the Paraguayan electoral institutions and the way their designs are enforced, identifying the gap between formal and informal rules as determinants of political representation. We also describe the barriers that prevent effective access of the population to political participation and competition, the advantages possessed by traditional political parties and interest groups, as well as their implications for democracy. We also review the degree to which elected officials are representative of historically excluded social groups as a result, emphasizing the way women, indige- nous and peasant communities have potentially limited power to exercise political influence due to limita- tions to participation by structural and institutional factors. KEYWORDS: representation, quality of democracy, electoral accountability, participation, competition CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Liliana Rocio Duarte-Recalde, email: [email protected] 1. Introduction The overthrow of the military regime that took place in Paraguay in 1989 marked the outset of transition towards democracy in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Filartiga V. Pena-Irala
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS, SECOND CIRCUIT DOLLY M.E. FILARTIGA and JOEL FILARTIGA, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. AMERICO NORBERTO PENA-IRALA, Defendant-Appellee No. 191, Docket 79-6090 630 F.2d 876; 1980 U.S. App. LEXIS 16111 October 16, 1979, Argued June 30, 1980, Decided PRIOR HISTORY: Appeal from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Eugene H. Nickerson, District Judge, dismissing appellants' complaint for want of subject matter jurisdiction, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c). DISPOSITION: Reversed. COUNSEL: Peter Weiss, New York City (Rhonda Copelon, John Corwin and Jose Antonio Lugo, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York City, and Michael Maggio, Goren & Maggio, Washington, D. C., of counsel), for plaintiffs- appellants. Murry D. Brochin, Newark, N. J. (Lowenstein, Sandler, Brochin, Kohl, Fisher & Boylan, P. C., Newark, N. J., of counsel), for defendant-appellee. Irving Gornstein, Atty., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C. (Drew S. Days, III, Asst. Atty. Gen., John E. Huerta, Deputy Asst. Atty. Gen., Roberts B. Owen, Legal Advisor, William T. Lake, Deputy Legal Advisor, Stefan A. Riesenfeld, Charles Runyon and Linda A. Baumann, Attys., Dept. of State, Washington, D. C.), for the U. S. as amicus curiae. Donald L. Doernberg, New York City, and David S. Weissbrodt, Minneapolis, Minn., for Amnesty International-U. S. A., Intern. League for Human Rights, and the Lawyers' Committee for Intern. Human Rights as amici curiae. Allan Abbot Tuttle, and Steven M. Schneebaum, Washington, D. C., for The Intern. Human Rights Law Group, The Council on Hemispheric Affairs and the Washington Office on Latin America as amici curiae.
    [Show full text]
  • Dispute Between Bolivia and Paraguay
    LEAGUE OF NATIONS DISPUTE BETWEEN BOLIVIA AND PARAGUAY REPORT OF THE CHACO COMMISSION Geneva, 1934 Publications of the League of Nations DISPUTE BETWEEN BOLIVIA AND PARAGUAY Documentation concerning the Dispute betw een Bolivia and Paraguay. (Ser. L.o.N. P. 1928.VII.1) gd. $0.20 Comprises a complete dossier of the measures taken by the Council during its Lugano Session, and on the close of the session by the President on behalf of the Council, to end the dispute and to get a peaceful mode of settlement accepted, in conformity with the Covenant. The Council's action ceased as soon as Bolivia declared that, " in accordance with the Council’s suggestions ”, she accepted, like Paraguay, the good offices of the Pan-American Arbitration Council. The two Governments had previously accepted the Council’s suggestions in regard to restricting their military measures to purely defensive ones. Documents concerning the Dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay. (Ser. L.o.N. P. 1929.VII.1).................................................................................. 6d. $0.10 Correspondence relating to the Dispute betw een Bolivia and Paraguay. (Ser. L.o.N. P. 1930.VII.1) 6d. $0.15 Issues of the OFFICIAL JOURNAL dealing with the Dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay. Price: Official Journal, 13th Year, No. 1, January 1932.........................................10/- $2.50 — — No. 9, September 1932....................................... 1/6 $0.40 — — No. 11, November 1 9 3 2 ...................................... 6/- $1.50 — — No. 12, December 1932 (Part II)........................12/- $3.00 — 14th Year, No. 2, February 1 9 3 3 ...................................... 8/- $2.00 — — No. 4, April 1933 (Part I I ) .............................. 2/- $0.50 — — No.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic and Social Council Distr.: General 5 February 2010 English Original: Spanish
    United Nations E/C.19/2010/12/Add.2 Economic and Social Council Distr.: General 5 February 2010 English Original: Spanish Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Ninth session New York, 19-30 April 2010 Items 3 and 4 (a) of the provisional agenda* Discussion on the special theme for the year, “Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity: articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” Human rights: Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Information received from Governments Paraguay Summary The present report contains the responses of the Government of Paraguay to the questionnaire sent to Member States regarding the recommendations of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at its eighth session. The responses of the Government of Paraguay take into account the recommendations of the Permanent Forum’s mission to Paraguay in 2009. * E/C.19/2010/1. 10-23203 (E) 240210 250210 *1023203* E/C.19/2010/12/Add.2 Responses of Paraguay to the questionnaire from the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues I. Responses to questions 1 and 2 A. The right of peoples to self-determination 1. The Government of Paraguay is making every effort to ensure the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in articles 3 and 4 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Thus, chapter V of the National Constitution fully recognizes indigenous peoples as groups that existed prior to the establishment of the Paraguayan State and grants them the right to participate in national life in accordance with their customary practices.
    [Show full text]
  • United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
    Translated from Spanish UNITED NATIONS PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES Mission to Paraguay REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS Acronyms DGEEC General Directorate of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development ILO International Labour Organization INDI Paraguayan Institute of Indigenous Affairs NGO Non-governmental organization OAS Organization of American States UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme Note : Investigations into human rights violations, particularly when the events are recent, can carry a great deal of risk for the researchers as well as for those who provide information and can result in violence, imprisonment or disappearance for individuals and institutions that defend basic human rights. For this reason, the witnesses in this report have been kept anonymous. The United Nations wishes to express its appreciation of the efforts made by individuals and institutions who, by providing information, contributed to the Mission. 2 Contents Page Executive summary ................................................................ 4 I. Introduction ...................................................................... 5 II. Legal context ..................................................................... 6 A. International law ............................................................... 6 B. Domestic law .................................................................. 8 III. Existence of forced labour in indigenous
    [Show full text]
  • Paraguay Joint Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review
    Republic of Paraguay Joint Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 38th Session of the UPR Working Group Submitted on 15 October 2020 by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, NGO in General Consultative Status with ECOSOC and Semillas para la Democracia CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Semillas para la Democracia Participation Inés M. Pousadela, [email protected] Marta Ferrara, [email protected] Susan Wilding, [email protected] Tel: +595 971 888 172 Tel: +41 22 733 3435 Web: www.semillas.org.py Web: www.civicus.org 1. Introduction 1.1 CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civic space around the world. Founded in 1993, CIVICUS has members in more than 190 countries throughout the world. 1.2 Semillas para la Democracia is a Paraguayan CSO aimed at improving the quality of democracy through the promotion of citizen participation, social equity and accountable government. 1.3 In this document, CIVICUS and Semillas para la Democracia examine the Government of Paraguay’s compliance with its international human rights obligations to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment for civil society. Specifically, we analyse the actions and policies undertaken by the Government of Paraguay regarding the fulfilment of the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression and the situation of human rights defenders (HRDs) and journalists since its previous review in January 2016. 1.4 During the 2nd UPR cycle, the Government of Paraguay received 19 recommendations pertaining to the space for civil society (civic space), all of which it supported.1 An evaluation of legal sources and documentation summarised in the following sections, however, shows that it only partially implemented six recommendations, while 13 remained unimplemented.
    [Show full text]
  • Judicial Government Para Web.Pdf
    lomo 11 - 16996pprod - judicial goverment.pdf 1 06-09-2019 12:11:48 This book presents a regional study on the situation of judicial government in Latin America based on the analysis of the realities of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay. Each country report was authored by a local expert. In addition to a proposal for a conceptual discussion of the topic that includes a review of the history of the independence of the Judiciary in Latin America, the methodological guidelines proposed by JSCA for the local studies set out the variables that should frame any research in this area. These are the constitutional and legal frameworks, government management, adminis- trative management, budgetary matters, disciplinary processes that can be applied to judges, the functioning of judicial associations, the participation of judges in judicial governance, the social aspects of the strengthe- ning of the Judiciary and the relationship between the Judiciary and other political powers. On the basis of all of these elements, the book conclu- des with a comparative approach that draws on the country reports to highlight the similarities and differen- ces of those realities. More importantly, it identifies the main points that should be addressed by scholars and professionals interested in reaffirming the commitment to democratic, independent and effective jurisdiction. As this innovative work demonstrates, JSCA’s commit- ment to the reform of Latin American justice systems also involves consolidating the political field of justice, understood in the republican sense of the Judiciary at the service of the people and achieved through respect for the principles of good management and the functio- nal autonomy of judges in order to enforce the law and the constitutions of their respective countries.
    [Show full text]