2010 South American Summit
Encyclopedia
The 2010 South American summit (officially the 4th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Heads of State and Government of the Union of South American Nations), took place in Georgetown
, Guyana
on November 26, 2010. Eight heads of state and four foreign ministers of the Union of South American Nations attended the summit. During the summit, the leaders signed an additional protocol to the Constitutive Treaty, adding a democratic clause to the charter of the organization. The Georgetown summit ended with the Ecuadorian president handing the UNASUR pro-tempore presidency
for the next twelve months to his Guyanese counterpart, Bharrat Jagdeo
.
and heads of government of eight countries participated. The heads of state from Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Bolivia could not attend.
(David Choquehuanca
), Chile
(Alfredo Moreno), Peru
(José García Belaúnde) and Uruguay
(Luis Almagro) represented their respective governments.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
advocated for the elimination of the asymmetries stopping the integration of South America
, in his speech during the summit. "None of our countries will really be prosperous, without all of us being also prosperous," said the Brazilian president.
, Argentina.
, which took over the Unasur rotating presidency from Ecuador, is one of South America
's poorest countries, for which reason President Lula has already announced that Brazil will provide assistance for Georgetown's efforts in presiding over the regional bloc.
clause to the charter
. The democratic clause imposes sanctions
on any member country of UNASUR that breaks or attempts to break constitutional rule
or the democratic system. The clause establishes sanctions, such as shutting down borders and the suspension of trade, against the country that suffers an attempted coup. The decision to include a democratic clause was made after the recent upheaval in Ecuador
that briefly threatened the administration of President, Rafael Correa
.
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
on November 26, 2010. Eight heads of state and four foreign ministers of the Union of South American Nations attended the summit. During the summit, the leaders signed an additional protocol to the Constitutive Treaty, adding a democratic clause to the charter of the organization. The Georgetown summit ended with the Ecuadorian president handing the UNASUR pro-tempore presidency
President Pro tempore of Unasur
The President Pro Tempore of the Union of South American Nations is the head position and representant of the Union of South American Nations . At international meetings, the declarations and concerted opinions of the supranational organism are presented by the President Pro Tempore...
for the next twelve months to his Guyanese counterpart, Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo is a Guyanese politician who has been President of Guyana since 11 August 1999. Prior to his presidency he was Minister of Finance and became President after Janet Jagan resigned for health reasons; subsequently he won two elections, in 2001 and 2006.Jagdeo was born in Unity Village...
.
Heads of State and Government
The heads of stateHead of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and heads of government of eight countries participated. The heads of state from Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Bolivia could not attend.
Foreign ministers
The foreign ministers of BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
(David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca Céspedes is a Bolivian politician. He has served as the Foreign Minister of Bolivia since 23 January 2006.Choquehuanca, who is an Aymara Indian, is an Aymara activist...
), Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(Alfredo Moreno), Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
(José García Belaúnde) and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
(Luis Almagro) represented their respective governments.
Regional integration
Brazilian PresidentPresident of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
advocated for the elimination of the asymmetries stopping the integration of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, in his speech during the summit. "None of our countries will really be prosperous, without all of us being also prosperous," said the Brazilian president.
Secretary-General
The name of the new secretary-general of the organization will remain unknown until the next presidential meeting in Mar del PlataMar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Argentina.
Guyanese presidency
GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, which took over the Unasur rotating presidency from Ecuador, is one of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
's poorest countries, for which reason President Lula has already announced that Brazil will provide assistance for Georgetown's efforts in presiding over the regional bloc.
Falklands/Malvinas
The summit addressed the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Several articles of the final declaration state that all Unasur ports will be closed to vessels operating under the "illegal flag of Malvinas (Falkland Islands)".Democratic clause
The leaders adopted an additional protocol to the organization's Constitutive Treaty, which added a democraticDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
clause to the charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
. The democratic clause imposes sanctions
Sanctions
Sanctions, plural of sanction, permission depending on context; contronym; may also refer to:Involving countries:* Economic sanctions, typically a ban on trade, possibly limited to certain sectors such as armaments, or with certain exceptions .*Trade sanctions, a type of economic sanction applied...
on any member country of UNASUR that breaks or attempts to break constitutional rule
Constitutionality
Constitutionality is the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution. Acts that are not in accordance with the rules laid down in the constitution are deemed to be ultra vires.-See also:*ultra vires*Company law*Constitutional law...
or the democratic system. The clause establishes sanctions, such as shutting down borders and the suspension of trade, against the country that suffers an attempted coup. The decision to include a democratic clause was made after the recent upheaval in Ecuador
2010 Ecuador crisis
The 2010 Ecuador crisis took place on September 30, 2010, when elements of the National Police and military forces of Ecuador blockaded highways, occupied the National Parliament, blocked the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito and the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in...
that briefly threatened the administration of President, Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
.