The president of Brazil, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. Photo: EFE.
Brazil will formally return to the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), as established in decree 11.475 issued by the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, ratifying the constitutive treaty of UNASUR that had been signed in Brasilia, capital of the country, on May 23, 2008.
According to the presidential decree, issued on Thursday, April 6, the reincorporation will take effect from May 6, 2023, although it will be finalized during a regional summit of heads of state to be held in the Brazilian capital at the end of May.
The resumption of Brazil’s participation in UNASUR was one of Lula’s campaign promises. He has always defended the political alliance and cooperation of the countries of the region.
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By decision of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil formally left the bloc in April 2019. According to experts, Brazil’s return to the organization is simple, since it only implies the annulment of the decree through which Bolsonaro made the decision to leave it.
After Brazil’s exit, a number of other countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, and Paraguay, all governed by right-wing presidents at that time, left UNASUR, thus paralyzing the organization.
UNASUR is focused mainly in the areas of health and infrastructure in the region. With the reincorporation of Brazil, Lula intends to include climate change actions among the entity’s fundamental principles.
On Thursday, Argentina also announced its return to UNASUR as a member state. President Alberto Fernández’s decision to return to the organization was announced by Argentinian Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, who made public the president’s statement to this effect.
The statement announced that the decision is aimed at promoting UNASUR’s institutional revitalization and building an increasingly integrated region.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/AF
