A/HRC/55/51/Add.1 7. The mission’s overall purpose was to identify ways of improving the effective implementation of international obligations in relation to the human rights of minorities through a review of existing legislation, policies and practices for the protection and promotion of the rights of minorities. III. General context 8. Following its independence in 1811, Paraguay became a presidential republic in which the Head of State and Government is the President of the Republic. The country is administratively divided into 17 departments, in addition to the Capital District. The nation’s elite is centred in Asunción, and the population is unevenly distributed throughout the country, with the vast majority of people living in the Oriental region, the majority within 160 km of Asunción, the capital and largest city. The Chaco or Western Region, which covers approximately 60 per cent of the territory, is home to less than 2 per cent of the population. 9. Paraguay nevertheless is a nation that has a past which has forged its development and made it what it is today and is the cause of many of the challenges it still faces. However, the country has positively engaged with the international community since embarking on the path towards democracy in 1989. IV. Ethnic, linguistic and religious minority communities 10. Among the population of Paraguay are a large number of people of European ancestry, mainly descendants of Spaniards and Italians, but there are also people of German ancestry, owing to the German Mennonites, the majority of whom are found in the western part of the territory. The majority of the population is made up of mestizos descended from the original population and Indigenous Peoples, such as the Guaraní. 11. With two official languages, Spanish and Guaraní, approximately 65 per cent of all Paraguayans speak Spanish.2 Guaraní and Spanish are official languages, although there are sizeable Indigenous communities with their own languages, as well as immigrant populations, such as Germans, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Syrians, Arabs, Brazilians, Venezuelans and Bolivians. 12. In terms of religious diversity, Paraguay remains a country with a large Catholic population, with 90 per cent of the population being Roman Catholic, including most of the mestizo population, and therefore symbols and cultural aspects of the Christian faith are quite visible and at times prominent. The remaining 10 per cent of the population consists of mainline Evangelical Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Baha’i and entities and groups of other religions. 13. There is also a sizeable Mennonite community, 17 colonies in the Paraguayan Chaco alone, comprising mainly German immigrants. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and ideology3 and recognizes no official religion, as Paraguay maintains a secular State even though most members of the Government are Roman Catholic, and the government observes Roman Catholic public holidays. 4 While favouritism towards Catholic churches may exist, in particular in terms of providing subventions for schools and supporting projects, in general, Paraguayan citizens enjoy freedom of belief. The various religious communities, such as Muslims, Jews, Evangelicals and Mennonites, live harmoniously. However, the Special Rapporteur observed that the diverse communities should interact more, to enhance dialogue and mutual respect. It would be beneficial therefore to strengthen the Permanent Forum for Interreligious Dialogue, with religious community members, to open constructive forms of interreligious dialogue and formally ensure the periodicity of its meetings. 2 3 4 GE.23-23380 See https://www.ine.gov.py/news/news-contenido.php?cod-news=1484 (in Spanish). Art. 24. Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, Paraguay Country Handbook (2015), p. 29. 3