La Nación / “Hay mejoría en todos los indicadores sociales, pero se mantienen las brechas históricas”

La Nación / “Hay mejoría en todos los indicadores sociales, pero se mantienen las brechas históricas”

The recent Atlas of Indigenous Communities of Paraguay, derived from the 2022 Census, highlights significant improvements in various social and demographic indicators. Although the indigenous population has grown and exhibits an age structure favorable for economic production, these improvements remain below the national average. This disparity underscores the urgent need to design more inclusive public policies that address historical gaps in education, health, and access to basic services, while recognizing the territorial and cultural heterogeneity of these communities. The relevance of this study for the field of open data lies in its participatory methodology and its potential to enhance transparency and evidence-based decision-making. By training community members themselves as census takers and employing intercultural approaches, the process not only ensures data reliability but also empowers the groups being studied. This transforms the census into a tool for social justice, demonstrating how data collection can be ethical, representative, and useful in combating exclusion—a fundamental principle in promoting government transparency. Furthermore, the article emphasizes that the survival of indigenous peoples is crucial for societal development, particularly in environmental management and the preservation of ancestral knowledge. The availability of this detailed data enables precise identification of priority intervention areas, such as land titling and protection of native forests. Consequently, open data originating from indigenous communities cease to be mere statistics and become vital instruments that validate the role of these communities as environmental guardians and promoters of cultural diversity, demanding a political commitment grounded in empirical reality.

Source: lanacion.com.py
Published on 2025-09-22