The progress of the programme and its contribution to social protection and promotion in Paraguay were presented during an international seminar organised by the Secretariat of Social Action. It was held at the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) with the participation of EuropeAid and EUROsociAL, among other international institutions and programmes, with some prominent figures in the region standing out, such as the former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In his speech, the former head of state of Brazil emphasised the experience of his country in fighting poverty by implementing social programmes in his two terms in office. He asserted that including the most vulnerable sectors in the budget of the country is essential to allowing them access to the rights guaranteed in the constitution.

Lula da Silva also highlighted the experience of the Tekoporã Programme, pointing out that Paraguay has all the right conditions for lifting people out of poverty, as Brazil did during his presidency. He indicated that this was no easy task in his country, considering that there were 50 million people living under the poverty line.

The President of the Republic, Horacio Cartes, announced that the Government's goal for the end of this year is to reach 130,000 participant families in the Programme, representing an increase of 65% in its coverage in two years. “Poverty reduction is not an act of charity, it's an act of justice”, he stated in the inauguration of the seminar. The “Tekoporã” conditional cash transfers currently reach some 112,000 families.

The Minister of the Social Action Secretariat (SAS), Héctor Cárdenas, opened the panel discussion “Social Protection Experiences in Latin America and Europe”, an event that featured prominent speakers and leaders in social affairs from Europe, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay, with the objective of creating a space for sharing and learning from past experiences in this process of combating poverty.

Jolita Butkeviciene, Director for the European Commission's Directorate-General of Development and Cooperation (EuropeAid), presented the experience of the European Union in the area of social protection.

For his part, Francesco Chiodi, social policy and employment expert and Coordinator of the Social Protection and Active Employment Policies Area of  EUROsociAL II, the European regional cooperation programme with Latin America, highlighted the importance of rights-based income support, as opposed to programme-based, as a fundamental piece for labour inclusion and improved public policies.