The Council of Delegates of the Union of South America States (UNASUR) is eyeing the United Nations model for financing the permanent secretariat, which is set to be opened in Quito, Ecuador next month.
UNASUR Secretary General Maria Emma Mejia Velez discusses details of the budget with two participating delegates
This is one of several methods of financing being examined as delegates meet at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal. “That is a decision the ministers of foreign affairs will take once the council delegates will present to them different alternatives,” said UNASUR Secretary General Maria Emma Mejia Velez, while briefing the media on Tuesday.
The other alternatives include a payment by percentage of per capita, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) or categorisation by income of high, medium and low income.
Each member of the UN is expected to pay a portion of their gross national product (GNP) as a membership fee. Dues are charged based upon a country’s capability to pay. The larger, richer nations like the U.S., pay substantially more than poorer nations like the Sudan.
Meanwhile, the UNASUR secretary general said her country, Colombia, is currently financing her and her staff, while Ecuador is footing the expenses for logistical operations at the secretariat. This is being done until the foreign ministers decided on a financing method.
The response from the presidents has been great, Mejia added, noting that the governments are cognisant of the constraints in their countries. As such, she labelled the structure of the secretariat “slim” and void of the bureaucratic mindset.
Having met with most of the presidents of the nine member countries, Mejia said they are keen on getting this aspect sorted out. “They (the leaders) would like to structure the secretariat; they understand that it’s a body of great political importance not just to the region, but also to the world, and they would like to stress the possibility that we relate to the many organisations in the Caribbean and, of course, in the hemisphere,” she told reporters. The secretariat is currently operating out of a temporary office. Construction work has already commenced on the building which will house the secretariat, which is located in the city of Mitad Del Mundo, Ecuador.
Mejia revealed that, on June 12, there will be the inauguration of the secretariat, which will be attended by Ecuador President Raphael Correa Delgado, who laid the first stone for the permanent headquarters in March.
Discussions on the budget, operation and structure of the secretariat conclude on May 25. The outcome of this meeting will then be submitted to the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs for their consideration.
Honduras’
readmission to OAS
Meanwhile, the UNASUR Council of Delegates acknowledged the efforts of Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia for their efforts to get Honduras readmitted into the Organisation of American States (OAS). Honduras, cast out of the OAS after overthrowing its president in a coup, is likely to be readmitted after a deal was agreed on Sunday during a summit of Central American nations in Managua, brokered with the assistance of OAS members Colombia and Venezuela.
Readmission could come as soon as Thursday, May 26, the top OAS official said.
Guyana currently holds the chairmanship of the fledging UNASUR. Paraguay will take over the chairmanship in November for another year. Other member countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and Colombia. Only Paraguay and Brazil are still to approve the founding charter. Uruguay was the ninth member to subscribe to the treaty as requested by the charter for it to become effective.
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