The National Order of Merit (Spanish: ''Orden Nacional del Mérito'') of

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

is an award given by the government of Paraguay. The

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

was first established in 1865 and can be given to any person or organization that has contributed in some way to the benefit of Paraguay. It is the highest distinction awarded by the

Republic of Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. The President of the Republic of Paraguay holds as a lifetime honour (unless removed by

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

) the Grand Cross of the Order, known as Presidential Collar (or Cordon) of Marshal López.

About

The National Order of Merit is given to a person or an organization who has contributed to the benefit of

in various fields of endeavor. This can include through

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, leadership, and science, among others. The medal was designed as a five-pointed star with the words "''honor et gloria''" on the front and "''premium meriti''" on the reverse.

History

The National Order of Merit was established on April 8, 1865 by

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

. In 1867, López declared that women were eligible to earn the award. The award was based on the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

and had several different levels. The highest level was the Grand Cross. The other levels were Knight, Official, Commander and Grand Official. On September 7, 1956, Law No. 394 was passed with several provisions regarding the awarding of the National Order of Merit.

Notable recipients

* Roa Bastos, Paraguayan writer. *

Gildo Insfrán Gildo Insfrán (born 19 January 1951) is an Argentine Justicialist Party (PJ) politician, who has been Governor of Formosa Province since 1995. Having been close to former President Carlos Menem, Insfrán later became close to President Néstor ...

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

politician. *

Shinichi Kitaoka is a Japanese political scientist. He has held many roles such as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), president of the International University of Japan, professor at Japan's GRIPS-Tokyo School of Security and In ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

political scientist on behalf of the

Japanese International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international c ...

(JICA). *

Eusebio Leal Eusebio Leal Spengler (11 September 194231 July 2020) was a Cuban historian. He served as the municipal historian of Havana, as well as the director of the restoration project of Old Havana. Under his oversight, the historic centre of the capit ...

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

historian. *

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and impr ...

Uruguayan Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

politician and president. *

Aloysio Nunes Aloysio Nunes Ferreira Filho (born 5 April 1945) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician. A member of PSDB, Nunes was a senator from São Paulo from 2011 to 2017, and was Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2019. Biography Aloysio Nu ...

, Brazilian politician. *

Berta Rojas Berta Rojas (born 23 September 1966) is a Paraguayan classical guitarist that won two Latin Grammy Awards on 2022 in its 23rd edition with her latest album entitled "Legado", the first in the "Best Classical Music Album" category, becoming the f ...

, Paraguyan musician. *

Luis Szarán Luis Szarán (born 24 September 1953) is a Paraguayan musician, orchestra director, composer and musical researcher; since 2002, founder and director of the social and community integration program "'Sounds of the Earth''", which created the sc ...

, Paraguayan musician. *

Lotte Schulz María Carlota "Lotte" Schultz (1925- January 22, 2016) was a Paraguayan artist. Schulz used several different media in her work, including ceramics, drawing, painting and printmaking. She is known for her innovative prints using cowhide. Schult ...

, Paraguayan artist. *

Peter Tomlinson Peter Tomlinson (born 4 April 1943, in Bristol) is a broadcaster and continuity announcer. He created the British children's television series ''Tiswas'' and was the programme's co-presenter in its early years. He was also one of the earliest pr ...

, South African admiral. *

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

, Chilean dictator. *

Fumihito, Prince Akishino is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the im ...

, Japanese Crown Prince. * former

Princess Mako of Akishino , formerly , is a former member of the Japanese imperial family. She is the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, niece of Emperor Naruhito, and granddaughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. ...

, Japanese Princess. File:Paraguay Order of Merit Grand Cross breast star.png, Grand Cross grade of the order. File:Paraguay Order of Merit Grand Cross set.png, Set of insignia of the Grand Cross. File:Paraguay Order of Merit Grand Cross badge (obverse).png, Grand Cross badge (obverse). File:Paraguay Order of Merit Grand Cross badge (reverse).png, Grand Cross badge (reverse). File:Cordon of Francisco Solano López (Paraguay) - Memorial JK - Brasilia - DSC00452.JPG,

Collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

of the order of

References

External links

Republic of Paraguay: National Order of Merit
{{Authority control 1865 establishments in South America Awards established in 1865 Orders, decorations, and medals of Paraguay Orders of merit