President Bharrat Jagdeo tasked newly installed UNASUR Secretary-General Maria Emma Mejia Velez with forging a South American group that will play a key role in global affairs, after she was sworn in at a ceremony at State House on Monday.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), Mejia Velez, a Colombian, was sworn in five months after the post was left vacant following the death of Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. Her swearing in was witnessed by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and members of the Cabinet, along with the foreign ministers of Columbia, Venezuela and other representatives of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
The new Secretary-General is expected to serve a 12-month term before handing over the mantle to her successor, Ali Rodriguez of Venezuela, who will complete the second year. During the selection process for appointing a new Secretary-General, the Republic of Columbia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela submitted the named representatives. In March, the Council of Ministers of UNASUR met in Quito, where a consensus was reached on the submission of a proposal for the sharing of the two-year post. The proposal was ratified by the heads of states and governments.
In her acceptance speech, Mejia Velez revealed some of the duties that she has set out, saying significant headway had been made in a number of areas. These include “the security and defence council meeting which will be entering its fourth ministerial summit to reappraise its action plan and reaffirm the constituting values of South America as a zone of peace,” GINA said.
She also noted that the recent signing of a declaration one month ago to consolidate a solid regional electrical integration process will be encouraging and acknowledged the crucial role UNASUR will need to play in addressing environmental issues, given its prestigious biodiversity resources.
The release also said that Jagdeo, who assumed the chairmanship of UNASUR in November, added the task of “forging a South American entity strong enough to give the continent a key role to play in the future” to the list of the Secretary-General’s duties. “If we have a South American entity, we can champion the cause for Security Council reform in the United Nations and get a South American country as a permanent member of the Security Council because we in South America often have a different perspective on conflicts and wars,” he said. Jagdeo remains convinced that South American leadership on climate change is possible, given the lukewarm attitude of the developed world and the shortcomings of the Copenhagen Accord.
According to him, if South America does not play a leadership role and persuade the developing world to meet their responsibilities, “we are heading for catastrophe and the forest for which we are proud, the Amazon, of which most of our countries have, could disappear.” He hailed the installation of the UNASUR Secretary-General as timely, given the task at hand to ensure the coordination of activities and the strengthening of the organisation’s capacity to service the work of the several councils and working groups. Jagdeo also recalled that at the Fourth Regular Summit of UNASUR, he urged the councils and working groups to expedite the process of offering recommendations that can be implemented in the interest of the people of South America.
