UNASUR
- LatamSinFiltro
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
Updated: May 20
The Union of South American Nations is an intergovernmental organization whose goal is to“build, in a participatory and consensual way, a space of integration and cultural, social, economic and political union between its peoples, giving priority to political dialogue, social policies, education, energy, infrastructure, financing and the environment, among other things, in order to eliminating socio-economic inequalities, achieving social inclusion and citizen participation, strengthening democracy and reducing asymmetries within the framework of strengthening sovereignty and the independence of the States”
Constitutive Treaty of UNASUR (TCU), Brasilia (Brazil), May 23, 2008
Creation of UNASUR
It began with the creation of the South American Community of Nations (CSN) on December 8, 2004. The CSN brought together the countries of two large regional organizations: the countries of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the countries of the Andean Community (CAN). The CSN aimed to create a common agenda of opportunities and challenges between the two organizations. In 2007, the CSN changed its name to UNASUR. On May 23, 2008, during the meeting of the Council of Heads of State and Government of the member countries that was held in Brazil, the countries signed the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty (TCU) which transformed the organization into a legal entity. Since March 11, 2011, the above-mentioned Treaty has entered into force. On October 24 of the same year, the organization obtained observer member status at the United Nations General Assembly.
UNASUR member countries are Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. With the diversity of member countries, the official languages are Spanish, English, Portuguese and Dutch.
UNASUR was created in a context of a strong regionalist feeling in Latin America, with the “turn to the left” governments, anti-imperialist and bolivarianist leaders sought to establish alliances between countries in the region to confront U.S domination.
Structure and functioning of the organization
The Council of Heads of State and Government: supreme body of UNASUR, responsible for establishing the policies and actions of the Union. It has a Pro Tempore Presidency; it rotates between Member States for a period of a year.
Council of Foreign Ministers: adopts resolutions to implement decisions of the Council of Heads of State and Government; submit decision drafts; coordinates countries' positions on central issues of South American integration; develops and promotes political dialogue and agreement on regional and international issues.
Council of Delegates: executive body responsible for the execution of decisions and resolutions adopted by the Council of Heads of State and Government and by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
The General Secretariat: represents UNASUR internationally.
The permanent headquarters of the General Secretariat was established in Quito, Ecuador, and the headquarters of the Parliament in Cochabamba, Bolivia. However, with the withdrawal of Ecuador from the organization in 2019, UNASUR has found itself without headquarters since 2019, which already demonstrates the organization’s ineffectiveness…
UNASUR: an inactive organization since 2017
The organization originally had 12 member countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
However, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru suspended their participation in 2018 due to the organization's numerous internal problems, the political support of the organization for the government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. In March 2019, the president of Ecuador also announced his country's immediate withdrawal from the organization due to its ineffectiveness.
With the return of left-wing governments in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina in the early 2020s, these countries joined back the organization. When it comes to Argentina, however, the new president, Javier Milei, decided to withdraw again from the organization.
The are several reasons that can explain UNASUR’s failure, but some in particular should be highlighted:
The hegemonic presence of the United States in the region and the economic dependence of Latin American countries on the U.S.
The end of the mandate of left-wing President Lula Da Silva in Brazil in 2011: Brazil represents a fundamental player in the region which has very significant weight.
Member countries have different political and economic positions creating disagreements, the decision-making process is difficult since the regulations must be adopted unanimously. The political crisis in Venezuela and the lack of respect for democracy caused the rejection of Hugo Chávez's proposals by several member countries.
The change in the regional context: Although at the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of Latin American governments were left or center-left, from the 2010s the trend reversed and conservative governments were put in place in most countries: Iván Duque in Colombia or Sebastián Piñera in Chile made it difficult to deepen the integration process.
Countries are not ready to give up part of their national sovereignty to deepen the integration process. Their national interests prevail.
The fragility of Latin American governments and internal crises: corruption cases, such as the 2016 Odebrecht affair which involved Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, among other countries.
Member countries have different foreign policies.
While the creation of UNASUR represents one of the most important regional integration initiatives in Latin America, it has not yet demonstrated its ability to overcome differences between countries and find common ground. Even though the organization still exists, it is almost inactive and the lack of leadership and interest from countries makes it difficult to restart.
Sources:
Cabrera, Alejandra Márquez. “Fracaso de UNASUR: tres factores explicativos: DOI: http://dx.doi.org.10.18847/1.16.9.” Journal of International Security Studies 8, no. 2 (on December 1, 2022): 149-68. https://www.seguridadinternacional.es/resi/index.php/revista/article/view/432.
Cedeño León, Jorge, and Angie Sánchez Erazo. “Success or Failure in the Disappearance of the Unasur Regional International Organization.” Polo del Conocimiento: Revista científico - profesional 6, no. 6 (2021): 340-51. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8017007.
Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Countries.
“UNASUR.” Accessed April 14, 2025. https://parlamentomercosur.org/innovaportal/v/4503/1/parlasur/unasur.html.
“Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) - National Customs Service of Ecuador”. Accessed April 14, 2025. https://www.aduana.gob.ec/union-de-naciones-suramericanas-unasur/.
“UNION DES NATIONS SUD AMERICAINES (UNASUR) - Mission permanente de la France auprès de l'OEA.” Accessed April 14, 2025. https://franceoea.org/union-des-nations-sud-americaines-unasur.
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