Brief: Environment ministry on the cards for Paraguay

Paraguay's senate has given its preliminary approval to a bill that would transform the environment department into the environment and sustainable development ministry which would be responsible for designing, establishing, supervising, enforcing and evaluating national environmental policy.

The senate's natural resources defense committee drafted the initiative in 2015 that also would have authority to apply the country's water resources law from 2007. The bill now goes to the lower house for debate.