MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South American Presidents sign Brasilia Consensus

Argentina's Alberto Fernández insisted that if “disagreements are strengthened, everything breaks down.”

After the Summit of South American leaders in Brasilia, the 11 attending presidents reached a consensus on cooperation and integration in the region.

Read also: Amid controversy in Brasilia regarding Venezuela, Fernández holds bilateral talks with Maduro

Hosted by Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, Alberto Fernández (Argentina); Gustavo Petro (Colombia); Luis Arce Catacora (Bolivia), Gabriel Boric Font (Chile), Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), Luis Lacalle Pou (Uruguay), Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador); Mohamed Irfaan Ali (Guyana); Chan Santokhi (Suriname), and Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) approved the so-called Brasilia Consensus, as follows:

1. At the invitation of the President of Brazil, the leaders of the South American countries met in Brasilia on May 30, 2023, to exchange views and perspectives for South American cooperation and integration.

2. They reaffirmed the common vision that South America constitutes a region of peace and cooperation, based on dialogue and respect for the diversity of our peoples, committed to democracy and human rights, sustainable development and social justice, the rule of law and institutional stability, the defense of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

3. Agreed that the world faces multiple challenges, in a scenario of climate crisis, threats to peace and international security, pressures on food and energy chains, risks of new pandemics, increased social inequalities, and threats to institutional and democratic stability.

4. Agreed that regional integration must be part of the solutions to face the shared challenges of building a peaceful world; strengthening democracy; promoting economic and social development; combating poverty, hunger, and all forms of inequality and discrimination; promoting gender equality; and the orderly, safe and regular management of migration; addressing climate change, including through innovative mechanisms for financing climate action, such as debt-for-climate action swaps by developed countries; promoting ecological and energy transition based on clean energy; strengthening health capacities; and combating transnational organized crime.

5. They pledged to work towards increasing trade and investment among the countries of the region; improving infrastructure and logistics; strengthening regional value chains; implementing trade facilitation and financial integration measures; overcoming asymmetries; eliminating unilateral measures; and accessing markets through the network of economic complementation agreements, including within the framework of ALADI, with the goal of an effective South American free trade area.

6. Recognized the importance of maintaining regular dialogue, with a view to promoting the integration process in South America and projecting the region's voice in the world.

7. Decided to establish a contact group, headed by the Foreign Ministers, to evaluate the experiences of the South American integration mechanisms and to prepare a road map for the integration of South America, to be submitted to the consideration of the Heads of State.

8. Agreed to promote, as of now, South American cooperation initiatives, under a social and gender approach, in areas that concern the immediate needs of citizens, particularly people in vulnerable situations, including indigenous peoples, such as health, food security, food systems based on traditional agriculture, environment, water resources, natural disasters, infrastructure and logistics, energy interconnection and clean energy, digital transformation, defense, border security, and integration, combating transnational organized crime and cybersecurity.

9. Agreed to meet again, at a date and place to be determined, to review the course of South American cooperation initiatives and determine the next steps to be taken.

Peru was represented by the President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola since President Dina Boluarte was unable to attend due to domestic unrest.