Video- Union of South American nations meets in Buenos Aires

The Union of South American Nations has emerged as a space of integration and unity to foster sustainable development and promote a common political, social and economic agenda in the region.

Under the motto “Democracy, Integration, Education: The challenges of coordinating interests”, officials of South American governments gathered in Buenos Aires to participate in the International Congress on UNASUR´s perspectives.

Argentine coordinator of Social Policies, Juan Carlos Nadalich, highlighted the significance of politics as an engine for social progress.

The role played by the South American Defense Council was also addressed during the meeting. Deputy Defense Minister of Argentina, Alfredo Forti, explained the region has valuable assets and that the protection of such strategic resources is one of the Council´s mainstays.

Within the framework of a common defense system as Mr. Forti pointed out, the Council´s intervention in regional conflicts becomes vital to protect South American interests.

In that way he recalled the tensions that emerged between Colombia and Ecuador in 2009 when former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe and Obama´s administration set an agreement to grant the U.S. military access to Colombian bases.

During the two-day meeting, experts also debated on the state of human rights, education policies and citizenship participation in regional affairs among other interesting topics.

Organized by Argentina´s National School of Government, the UNASUR International Congress served as a unique opportunity to rethink regional strategies in a changing world and foster dialogue mechanisms among South American nations.