Union of South American Nations
Regional · UNASUR
On 23 May 2008 twelve states signed the Constitutive Treaty at Brasília, in original copies of equal authority in four languages. Article 23 makes English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch the official languages of the union, and Guyana accounts for the first of them while Suriname accounts for the last. The treaty entered into force on 11 March 2011, thirty days after the ninth ratification reached the depositary.
Common questions
Questions about UNASUR
Why are English and Dutch official languages of UNASUR?
Article 23 names English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch, and the treaty was done at Brasília on 23 May 2008 in all four as equally authentic originals. The membership was drawn by continent, so it takes in Guyana, whose official language is English, and Suriname, whose official language is Dutch. The preamble names both, beside Chile, as signatories that belonged to neither MERCOSUR nor the Andean Community.
How does a country leave UNASUR?
Article 24 gives the treaty indefinite duration and lets any member denounce it by written notice to the depositary, which then informs the others. The denunciation takes effect six months after the notice is received, and it does not cancel unpaid ordinary contributions. Colombia gave notice on 27 August 2018. Argentina's note of 12 April 2019 took effect on 12 October 2019.
What happened to UNASUR in 2018 and 2019?
On 20 April 2018 Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru announced that they were suspending their participation for an indefinite period. Formal denunciations followed, Colombia's in August 2018 and Paraguay's, Argentina's, Brazil's and Chile's in April 2019, and Ecuador announced its withdrawal on 13 March 2019. On 22 March 2019 eight governments signed a document at Santiago proposing the Forum for the Progress of South America in its place.
Where is UNASUR based?
Article 10 puts the General Secretariat at Quito, and Article 22 requires a headquarters agreement with Ecuador. Ecuador announced its withdrawal on 13 March 2019 and asked for the return of the building on the edge of the city that housed the secretariat. Article 17 places a South American Parliament at Cochabamba, subject to an additional protocol that the Library of the National Congress of Chile recorded in April 2019 as not yet put to the member states, in a building finished in September 2018.
Did Brazil and Argentina return to the treaty?
Both lodged fresh instruments of ratification in 2023. Brazil's decree of 6 April 2023 promulgated the treaty and records it in force for Brazil from 6 May 2023. Argentina's instrument was dated 12 May 2023 and handed over on 16 May 2023, and the treaty entered into force for Argentina on 15 June 2023. The Colombian foreign ministry recorded its own return on 5 December 2023.
Sources
- Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations · The authentic English text. Articles 7, 10, 12, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 27, and the signature clause naming the four originals of 23 May 2008.
- Additional Protocol to the Constitutive Treaty of UNASUR on Commitment to Democracy · The authentic English text, signed at Georgetown on 26 November 2010. The measures in Article 4 and the integral-part clause in Article 8.
- Ficha del instrumento: Tratado Constitutivo de la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas · Biblioteca Digital de Tratados, Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Entry into force on 11 March 2011, the denunciation of 12 April 2019 effective 12 October 2019, the instrument of 12 May 2023 handed over on 16 May 2023, and the United Nations registration number.
- Tratado Constitutivo de UNASUR: proceso de retiro y denuncia de la organización · Asesoría Técnica Parlamentaria, Library of the National Congress of Chile, April 2019. The suspension of 20 April 2018, the notes of Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, and the Cochabamba building.
- La Argentina se retira de la UNASUR · Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press information 145/19 of 12 April 2019. The note addressed to Ecuador as depositary and to the pro tempore presidency, and the reasons stated for it.
- Decreto nº 11.475, de 6 de abril de 2023 · Presidency of Brazil. The promulgation of the treaty, the instrument deposited with the member states on 6 April 2023, and entry into force for Brazil on 6 May 2023.
- Después de casi cinco años, Colombia retorna a la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas · Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 December 2023. The return, and the meeting of the Council of Delegates attended as a member state.