MERCOSUR

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Menu: What is MERCOSUR? | Membership | Child rights and MERCOSUR | Conflict | Child rights documents

 

 

What is MERCOSUR?

 

MERCOSUR is an economic and political bloc of South American States which has been compared to the European Union. It stands for el Mercado Común del Sur (the Common Market of the South).

MERCOSUR was founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991 under the Treaty of Asunción. The initial goal of MERCOSUR was to establish a common economic market. In 1998 it also created a political forum with the aim of establishing common positions and resolving issues affecting the region. The political mechanism was expanded in December 2006 with the creation of a common parliament. The parliament, which first met in May 2007, will serve as an advisory committee for full Member States.

Membership

 

Full members : Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, Venezuela’s full membership is pending.
Associate members: Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

The presidency of MERCOSUR rotates on a six-monthly basis between full members; Paraguay currently holds the presidency.

 

Child rights and MERCOSUR: Iniciativa Niñ@sur

 

Niñ@sur is an initiative of MERCOSUR which aims to promote national efforts in Member States to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The aims of Niñ@surare:

• To promote dialogue and share experiences among MERCOSUR States to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improve children and young people’s lives in the region;

• To push for, and support a study on, the establishment of an Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for an individual complaints procedure. MERCOSUR would make regional bloc interventions in support of such a mechanism at the UN Human Rights Council;

• To encourage changes to internal legislation in compliance with international human rights instruments relating to children, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular Article 4 of the Convention which commits States to making the budget allocations necessary for advancing child rights. This includes creating a legal database containing relevant national laws and their degree of compliance with relevant international instruments.
  
• To encourage coordination between States on thematic issues including sexual exploitation, trafficking, child pornography, child labour, and migrant workers and their families.
  
• To promote regional meetings with relevant authorities on human and child rights with the aim of institutionalising these issues within MERCOSUR’s political and social agenda.
• Other non-State actors are also involved in the initiative. International and regional bodies such as UNICEF, UNDP, the Organisation of American States and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights offer technical assistance. In addition, one of the current members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors the Convention’s implementation, Rosa María Ortiz, is from Paraguay. Civil society organisations may also contribute their experiences and observations.
  

 

Conflict

 

Progress on MERCOSUR’s initiatives has stalled as a result of internal disputes. The most recent clash has been over Venezuela’s membership. This was agreed last year, but ratification of Venezuela’s entry has been delayed in the Brazilian and Paraguayan Congresses. Some Congressmen argue that Venezuela does not comply with a clause in MERCOSUR’s regulations which commits members to democracy; they are also unhappy about Venezuela’s refusal to grant commercial and tariff concessions to other members. Venezuela’s President, Hugo Chávez, has declared that unless the country’s entry is approved within three months, he will withdraw Venezuela’s application for membership.

In 2006 Argentina and Uruguay argued over Uruguay’s plans to build pulp mills along the border it shares with Argentina. The project had attracted huge foreign investment. Argentina claimed it would create unacceptable levels of pollution and would damage its tourist industry in the region. The matter was taken to the International Court of Justice which ruled in Uruguay’s favour. Argentina has vowed to continue fighting the case.

Other conflicts have centred around trade. Smaller countries, such as Paraguay, have only received restricted access to markets in Argentina and Brazil. Some countries have set up bilateral agreements externally which is forbidden by the organisation’s regulations.

 

Niñ@sur documents

Niñ@sur Work Plan 2006-07 [in Spanish]

Recommendations on the rights of and assistance for children and young people who have been victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation [in Spanish]