South American Summit Closes In Brasilia

The summit of South American heads of state closed Tuesday in Brasilia with a unanimous call for regional union expressed in the Brasilia Consensus, the final declaration of the meeting. 

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva convened the presidents of South American nations to exchange views and perspectives in the search for greater cooperation and integration in the region.

At the meeting, it was decided to "establish a contact group, headed by the foreign ministers, to evaluate the experiences of the South American integration mechanisms and the elaboration of a road map for the integration of South America, which will be submitted to the consideration of the heads of state", reads the document.

It also affirmed South America as "a region of peace and cooperation" based on dialogue and "committed to democracy and human rights, sustainable development and social justice, rule of law and institutional stability, sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs."

South American presidents signed the Brasilia Consensus, a document that aims to strengthen cooperation between neighboring countries. The text was signed at the end of the Summit meeting of South American leaders, which took place this Tuesday (5/30), at the Itamaraty Palace. The invitation to the meeting was made by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) , seeking to strengthen ties between countries to promote peace, integration and progress in the region.

The leaders recognized that there are multiple shared challenges, such as "the climate crisis, threats to international peace and security, pressures on food and energy chains, risks of new pandemics, increasing social inequalities and threats to institutional and democratic stability."

In this regard, they agreed on the need to strengthen democracy, promote economic and social development, combat poverty, hunger, and inequalities, as well as promote gender equality and the orderly and safe management of migration.

The leaders pledged to address climate change through innovative financing mechanisms and agreed to work to increase trade among countries in the region, improve infrastructure and logistics, strengthen regional value chains, and facilitate financial integration.

They also said they will work on "overcoming asymmetries; eliminating unilateral measures; and accessing markets through the network of economic complementation agreements, including within the framework of ALADI (Latin American Integration Association), with the goal of an effective South American free trade zone."