Program of Action
First Meeting of Heads of State of the South American Community of Nations
Brasilia, September 30

1.The institutional ties between MERCOSUR and CAN will be strengthened through the reciprocal association mechanism between the Member States of the two bodies, with the participation of Chile, Guyana and Suriname.

2.With regard to the provisions of paragraph 13 of the Presidential Declaration, a South American consultation and political coordination forum will be set up, consisting of the Mercosur FCCP, the Common Foreign Policy Coordinators Mechanism of the Andean Community and representatives from Guyana and Suriname.

3.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will undertake consultations with a view to issuing declarations agreed to by all members on international and regional situations of mutual interest.

4.The countries of the Community may submit agreed projects of mutual interest to international and regional bodies.

5. Joint meetings of the bodies of MERCOSUR, CAN, Chile, Guyana and Suriname responsible for similar matters will be scheduled according to a previously established timetable.

6.The secretariats of CAN and MERCOSUR will review the agreements reached by CAN and MERCOSUR in the political and social fields with a view to undertaking joint analyses with Chile, Guyana and Suriname regarding the possibility of extending such agreements to all South American countries.

7.The South American countries agree to negotiate a visa exemption and identity document agreement to enable their nationals to enter and transit their respective territories as tourists.

8.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will request the secretariats of ALADI, MERCOSUR, CAN and CARICOM, with the participation of Chile, Guyana and Suriname, to undertake, no later than the first half of 2006, studies on the convergence of economic complementation agreements among the South American countries. These studies must include the objective of gradually establishing a South American free-trade zone as well as the complementation of the South American economies and the promotion of regional growth and development, while taking into consideration the reduction of existing asymmetries and - in the case of the Member States of ALADI - the preservation of the advances achieved in Resolution 59 of the ALADI Council of Ministers.

9.On 21 October, a forum on new approaches for addressing the asymmetries in South American integration will be held in La Paz.

10.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will invite all countries to develop programs to eliminate Foot-and-Mouth Disease, when deemed necessary or pertinent, and/or to join to the MERCOSUR Foot-and-Mouth Disease-Free Action Program (Dec. CMC 8/05).

11.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will promote South American negotiating rounds to encourage more optimal use of the economic complementation agreements signed between South American countries. Other Latin American and Caribbean countries may be invited to these negotiating rounds.

12. The coordination of trade promotion and reciprocal investment programs among the countries of the South American Community will be encouraged, taking into consideration, inter alia, Brazil’s experience with the Competitive Import Substitution Program.

13.The countries of the Community of South American Nations will exchange experiences on trade facilitation, the complementation of productive chains and the integration of border regions. The Pro Tempore Secretariat will convene a meeting to exchange experiences on border cooperation.

14.Impetus will be given to concluding priority projects for South American integration in the fields of transportation, energy and communications infrastructure, based on the deepening of existing bilateral, sub-regional and regional experiences. On this point, the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA) is considered as an appropriate framework for all of the South American countries, that, given the technical, social, environmental and economic viability of the projects, has prepared a Consensus Implementation Agenda, for which the countries manifested their support in the 2004 Ayacucho Declaration.

15.Considering that water is a sovereign natural resource of unquestionable strategic importance to the region, the Community of South American Nations reiterates its firm determination to safeguard its rational, equitable, just and sustainable use, while preserving its sources. In this context, meetings and seminars will be promoted to exchange experiences on this issue.

16.In light of the conclusions emerging from the South American Air Transport Meeting held in Brasilia, 29 and 30 September, the Pro Tempore Secretariat will convene a meeting of civil aviation authorities and Ministers of Tourism to review the bases for a South American flight-connection program to promote tourism and regional trade within the framework of existing agreements.

17. Reaffirm the importance of energy integration in South America. Approve of the outcomes of the I Meeting of Ministers of Energy of the South American Community of Nations held in Caracas on 26 September 2005, at which the parties decided to continue adopting concrete steps within the context of the Petroamerica initiative, taking into account the principles contained in their Declaration.

Reiterate the invitation to all South American countries to consider taking part in a review process of a regional energy complementation agreement as proposed by Uruguay at the Meeting of Ministers of Energy of Mercosur, Chile, Peru and Bolivia held in Montevideo on 22 August 2005.

Urge, moreover, the Ministers of the countries involved in the Southern Gas Pipeline initiative to move forward, in the shortest time possible, with the development of this project, by fulfilling the institutional, legal, technical and economic aspects capable of ensuring its timely implementation.

18.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will request regional financial institutions to assist, in conjunction with national development banks and institutions, the work of the Sectoral Process aimed at identifying innovative mechanisms and finding solutions that enable the financing of the IIRSA Strategic Projects.

19.The CAF member countries will undertake efforts to enable all South American countries to join the financial institution as full category A partners, at their request.

20.The Pro Tempore Secretariat will hold a workshop with representatives of the public and private sector and regional financial institutions to discuss alternative methods for funding economic investment and social cohesion projects under the most favorable conditions, and aimed especially at supporting small- and medium-sized businesses and cooperatives.

21.A technical work group will be established with the participation of the governmental agencies responsible for formulating the policies, rules and regulations governing communications and Internet services, with a view to examining the possibility of stimulating the development of an infrastructure network, which is a necessary feature of a regional information society, that includes Internet exchange points, regional networks and primary servers, taking into account the specific situation and needs of the region.

22.A dengue and malaria eradication program will be developed in all of the countries of South America.

23.In light of the urgent need to achieve progress in overcoming social inequality in South America, the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the Community of South American Nations will convene a meeting of experts and officials responsible for government social development, anti-poverty and social emergency programs for purposes of recommending, in a timely manner, proposed actions to address these questions.

24.The Ministers of Tourism will analyze, in the second half of 2005, a cooperation program to promote ethical responsibility in tourism, with special attention given to preventing the exploitation of children and adolescents and the effects of tourism on the environment.

25.Considering that environmental issues are part of the priority agenda for South American integration, the parties agree to convene a meeting of the South American countries in Quito, in the first half of 2006, with the participation of academic institutions and regional and sub-regional governmental organizations to analyze issues of mutual interest on this subject.

26.The participation of society as a whole to facilitate the dissemination of integration efforts and South American realities through various communication, educational, information and cultural channels will be promoted, with full respect assured for freedom of the press and the right of peoples to information.

27.The Ministers of Culture and their equivalents will meet in the first half of 2006 to study a proposal for a South American cultural agenda. This agenda may include, inter alia, a rotating cultural festival, joint film productions and a South American cultural award.

28.A South American science and technology fair will be held on a rotating basis every two years. Joint science and technology research projects will be stimulated. A South American science and technology award will be established.

29.An Innovation, Research and Development Cooperation Plan will be developed, with special emphasis given to science and technology issues and their application to the development of production and services, with specific focus on expanding the potential of the region’s natural resources, as well as value-added generating industries, while taking into account existing programs.

30.A registry of existing international instruments on the mutual recognition of professional titles and university diplomas will be developed with the collaboration of the Andrés Bello Agreement, with a view to undertaking an assessment of those instruments and considering possible improvements through the negotiation of supplementary texts deemed pertinent.