UNASUR advances institutional building under Guyana’s chairmanship
By Odeen Ishmael
On October 29, 2011, theGovernment of Guyana, after holding the annual rotating position of pro-temporechair of UNASUR since November 26, 2010, handed over the gavel to Paraguay atthe fifth meeting of the Council of Heads of State and Government held inAsuncion, the Paraguayan capital. During the year of Guyana’s chairmanship, the SouthAmerican bloc made some strident advances in institutional building whilecontinuing to make headway in gaining a firmer foothold on the world stage.
Significantly, Guyanain its chairing role, had earlier this year made a formal application for UNAURto attain Observer Status at the UN General Assembly. This application wassubsequently approved on October 22 by the General Assembly after the committeeof judicial affairs unanimously approved the request. The new status now placesUNASUR’s future engagement with the UN on a firm and sustainable footingallowing for an enhanced profile of the South American integration movement inthe international community.
Actually, UNASUR had already started implementing actions in thatdirection. It should be noted that the organisation, in propagating South-Southcooperation, has institutionalised, over the past five years, joint summits andministerials with the African Union and the Arab League. Such close links withthe African and Arab nations have since resulted in improving politicalunderstanding and cooperation. They have also led to a higher flow of exportsto these areas from South America, with Brazil and Argentina beingthe main beneficiaries.
And more recently, on November 28-30, the first joint meeting ofeducation ministers of UNASUR and the Arab League was held in Kuwait and adopteda plan to work together to provide scholarships and promote science andtechnical and language training in the two regions.
During Guyana’sone-year stewardship, there were also significant institutional advances withinthe South American bloc. On March 11, 2011, the foreign ministers met in Quito to celebrate the entry into force ofthe UNASUR constitutive treaty and discuss the appointment of asecretary-general. For this post, it will be recalled that two nominees (from Colombia and Venezuela) weresubmitted by their respective countries. To avoid a deadlock, the ForeignMinisters agreed on the sharing of the two-year term by the two candidates, andthis proposal was subsequently ratified by the South American presidents. As aresult, Columbia’sMaria Emma Majia Velez, a former foreign affairs and education minister, waschosen for the first year; Ali Rodriguez who has held leading posts in theVenezuelan government will take up the position during the second quarter of 2012.
With this administrative hurdle out of the way, the second meetingof the Council on Social Development and the twenty-ninth meeting of theCouncil of Delegates were held in Guyana during the period March 24-31.
The Council on Social Development reviewed the 2009-2011 action planadopted by its first meeting in Ecuadorback in 2009. This current action plan includes the formulation of guidelinesfor the establishment of common social development policies among the member states,as well as the creation of technical working groups in the field of social developmentand the promotion of cooperation in border districts, in the on-going effort toreduce poverty in those areas.
The Council of Delegates reviewed the activities of the various administrativeCouncils and working groups in order to provide guidance to the work beingundertaken by these bodies in 2011. This meeting also examined a proposal by Guyana on theorganisational structure and budget for the Permanent Secretariat currentlybeing constructed in Quito, Ecuador.
These two meetings were followed by the formal installation on May 9of the secretary general at a ceremony held in Georgetown, Guyana.Since then, the secretary general has commenced operations at a temporarylocation provided by the government of Ecuador in Quito.
In addition, considerable achievements have been made in the variousCouncils and working groups in keeping with the mandates of the Council ofHeads of State and Government in accordance with the objectives established inthe organisation’s constitutive treaty.
Among these significant achievements were the conclusion on May 27 inQuito of the agreementfor the Centre of Strategic Studies, and the inauguration of the South AmericanInstitute on Health on July 25 in Rio de Janeiro.
Soon after, a review of the financial and economic aspects of UNASURwas undertaken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Finance and Economyand Governors of Central Banks in Argentina on August 12. Most of theissues discussed related to a mandate given to that Council by the heads ofstate to deliberate on an effective UNASUR response to the internationalfinancial crisis.
At the Argentinaforum, a programme was approved to design a multilateral payments system whichwould encourage the use of local currencies, with the tendency to graduallyreplace the US dollar in regional trade. Three groups were also created to workon monetary policies, strengthening of trade, and expansion of the LatinAmerican Reserves Fund Council, the aid mechanism for most of the members ofthe bloc should they face financial difficulties such as rapid balance ofpayments alterations.
Furthermore, decisions were taken for the creation of a regionaldevelopment bank (the Southern Bank) and coordination in the use of centralbanks’ international reserves to protect the region from internationalfinancial volatility.
As part of the ongoing process aimed at strengthening theintegration mechanism, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in an extraordinarysession on August 26 in Guyanato examine and decide on some key issues on the regional agenda.
Among those discussed was the proposal by the agencies and electoralauthorities of member states to create an Electoral Council of UNASUR,especially since the bloc had already received requests from Bolivia,Paraguayand Guyanafor electoral observer missions.This proposal won unanimous acceptance and working groups comprising electoralauthorities and government officials of member states were set up to examinethe nature, structure and functioning of the Electoral Council as well as thecriteria and norms for the mounting of electoral observer missions in memberstates.
The foreign ministers, in their deliberations, recognised thevaluable work of the UNASUR Mission in Haiti and agreed to recommend to theheads of state the extension of the UNASUR-Haiti technical secretariat to allowfor the continuation of the programme of activities, especially those relatedto institutional support, food security and housing. They also urged memberstates to comply with the agreed contributions to the solidarity fund,established in Ecuadorin February last year.
The Guyanameeting also mandated the Council of Delegates to formulate concrete rules withrespect to the structure and budget of the General Secretariat in order to streamlinethe institutional strengthening of the organisation.
And as further evidence of this institutional growth, the ElectoralCouncil of UNASUR on November 29, 2011, participated as an observer mission in the Guyana generalelections. By all indications, the mission carried out a successful exercisewhich surely will help to build experience for any subsequent electoralobservation
The establishment and practical functioning of the Electoral Councilcan be regarded as a positive forward step by the South American bloc topromote and preserve, defend and advance the democratic process in the region.It is possible that in the near future, as the Council acquires more experiencein observing elections within the bloc, it may be able eventually to mountsimilar exercises outside South America, asthe European Union is already doing.
As Paraguaynow takes the South American chair, the expectation is that there will befurther consolidation of the administrative structure of the bloc in the yearahead. There is anticipation that the South American parliament in Cochabamba,Bolivia, will begin to take shape and that the member states will agree on thespecial protocol on the composition and functions of this body. Hopefully, too,by the end of Paraguay’s term, the new building housing the General Secretariatwill be ready to accept a fully-equipped team of professional regional civilservants to handle the day to day administration of the organisation.
Kuwait, 12 December 2011
(Dr. Odeen Ishmael is Guyana’sambassador to the State of Kuwait. He writes extensively on Latin American and Caribbean issues and is the author of several booksincluding The Democracy Perspective in the Americas. The views expressedhere are solely his own.)
By Odeen Ishmael
On October 29, 2011, theGovernment of Guyana, after holding the annual rotating position of pro-temporechair of UNASUR since November 26, 2010, handed over the gavel to Paraguay atthe fifth meeting of the Council of Heads of State and Government held inAsuncion, the Paraguayan capital. During the year of Guyana’s chairmanship, the SouthAmerican bloc made some strident advances in institutional building whilecontinuing to make headway in gaining a firmer foothold on the world stage.
Significantly, Guyanain its chairing role, had earlier this year made a formal application for UNAURto attain Observer Status at the UN General Assembly. This application wassubsequently approved on October 22 by the General Assembly after the committeeof judicial affairs unanimously approved the request. The new status now placesUNASUR’s future engagement with the UN on a firm and sustainable footingallowing for an enhanced profile of the South American integration movement inthe international community.
Actually, UNASUR had already started implementing actions in thatdirection. It should be noted that the organisation, in propagating South-Southcooperation, has institutionalised, over the past five years, joint summits andministerials with the African Union and the Arab League. Such close links withthe African and Arab nations have since resulted in improving politicalunderstanding and cooperation. They have also led to a higher flow of exportsto these areas from South America, with Brazil and Argentina beingthe main beneficiaries.
And more recently, on November 28-30, the first joint meeting ofeducation ministers of UNASUR and the Arab League was held in Kuwait and adopteda plan to work together to provide scholarships and promote science andtechnical and language training in the two regions.
During Guyana’sone-year stewardship, there were also significant institutional advances withinthe South American bloc. On March 11, 2011, the foreign ministers met in Quito to celebrate the entry into force ofthe UNASUR constitutive treaty and discuss the appointment of asecretary-general. For this post, it will be recalled that two nominees (from Colombia and Venezuela) weresubmitted by their respective countries. To avoid a deadlock, the ForeignMinisters agreed on the sharing of the two-year term by the two candidates, andthis proposal was subsequently ratified by the South American presidents. As aresult, Columbia’sMaria Emma Majia Velez, a former foreign affairs and education minister, waschosen for the first year; Ali Rodriguez who has held leading posts in theVenezuelan government will take up the position during the second quarter of 2012.
With this administrative hurdle out of the way, the second meetingof the Council on Social Development and the twenty-ninth meeting of theCouncil of Delegates were held in Guyana during the period March 24-31.
The Council on Social Development reviewed the 2009-2011 action planadopted by its first meeting in Ecuadorback in 2009. This current action plan includes the formulation of guidelinesfor the establishment of common social development policies among the member states,as well as the creation of technical working groups in the field of social developmentand the promotion of cooperation in border districts, in the on-going effort toreduce poverty in those areas.
The Council of Delegates reviewed the activities of the various administrativeCouncils and working groups in order to provide guidance to the work beingundertaken by these bodies in 2011. This meeting also examined a proposal by Guyana on theorganisational structure and budget for the Permanent Secretariat currentlybeing constructed in Quito, Ecuador.
These two meetings were followed by the formal installation on May 9of the secretary general at a ceremony held in Georgetown, Guyana.Since then, the secretary general has commenced operations at a temporarylocation provided by the government of Ecuador in Quito.
In addition, considerable achievements have been made in the variousCouncils and working groups in keeping with the mandates of the Council ofHeads of State and Government in accordance with the objectives established inthe organisation’s constitutive treaty.
Among these significant achievements were the conclusion on May 27 inQuito of the agreementfor the Centre of Strategic Studies, and the inauguration of the South AmericanInstitute on Health on July 25 in Rio de Janeiro.
Soon after, a review of the financial and economic aspects of UNASURwas undertaken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Finance and Economyand Governors of Central Banks in Argentina on August 12. Most of theissues discussed related to a mandate given to that Council by the heads ofstate to deliberate on an effective UNASUR response to the internationalfinancial crisis.
At the Argentinaforum, a programme was approved to design a multilateral payments system whichwould encourage the use of local currencies, with the tendency to graduallyreplace the US dollar in regional trade. Three groups were also created to workon monetary policies, strengthening of trade, and expansion of the LatinAmerican Reserves Fund Council, the aid mechanism for most of the members ofthe bloc should they face financial difficulties such as rapid balance ofpayments alterations.
Furthermore, decisions were taken for the creation of a regionaldevelopment bank (the Southern Bank) and coordination in the use of centralbanks’ international reserves to protect the region from internationalfinancial volatility.
As part of the ongoing process aimed at strengthening theintegration mechanism, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in an extraordinarysession on August 26 in Guyanato examine and decide on some key issues on the regional agenda.
Among those discussed was the proposal by the agencies and electoralauthorities of member states to create an Electoral Council of UNASUR,especially since the bloc had already received requests from Bolivia,Paraguayand Guyanafor electoral observer missions.This proposal won unanimous acceptance and working groups comprising electoralauthorities and government officials of member states were set up to examinethe nature, structure and functioning of the Electoral Council as well as thecriteria and norms for the mounting of electoral observer missions in memberstates.
The foreign ministers, in their deliberations, recognised thevaluable work of the UNASUR Mission in Haiti and agreed to recommend to theheads of state the extension of the UNASUR-Haiti technical secretariat to allowfor the continuation of the programme of activities, especially those relatedto institutional support, food security and housing. They also urged memberstates to comply with the agreed contributions to the solidarity fund,established in Ecuadorin February last year.
The Guyanameeting also mandated the Council of Delegates to formulate concrete rules withrespect to the structure and budget of the General Secretariat in order to streamlinethe institutional strengthening of the organisation.
And as further evidence of this institutional growth, the ElectoralCouncil of UNASUR on November 29, 2011, participated as an observer mission in the Guyana generalelections. By all indications, the mission carried out a successful exercisewhich surely will help to build experience for any subsequent electoralobservation
The establishment and practical functioning of the Electoral Councilcan be regarded as a positive forward step by the South American bloc topromote and preserve, defend and advance the democratic process in the region.It is possible that in the near future, as the Council acquires more experiencein observing elections within the bloc, it may be able eventually to mountsimilar exercises outside South America, asthe European Union is already doing.
As Paraguaynow takes the South American chair, the expectation is that there will befurther consolidation of the administrative structure of the bloc in the yearahead. There is anticipation that the South American parliament in Cochabamba,Bolivia, will begin to take shape and that the member states will agree on thespecial protocol on the composition and functions of this body. Hopefully, too,by the end of Paraguay’s term, the new building housing the General Secretariatwill be ready to accept a fully-equipped team of professional regional civilservants to handle the day to day administration of the organisation.
Kuwait, 12 December 2011
(Dr. Odeen Ishmael is Guyana’sambassador to the State of Kuwait. He writes extensively on Latin American and Caribbean issues and is the author of several booksincluding The Democracy Perspective in the Americas. The views expressedhere are solely his own.)