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UNASUR explores cheaper drugs, visa-free travel for member states

Jan 21, 2015 News

A regional body comprising South American countries is aggressively moving forward with its plans to introduce visa-free travel among its members and a number of key infrastructural projetcs.
The Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Union of South American Nations) or UNASUR, as it is known, is also working for its member states to access cheaper, generic drugs.
The disclosure was made yesterday by Secretary General, Dr. Ernesto Samper, who wrapped up a 12-nation visit on the UNASUR’s secretariat work programme.
During a short press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Samper, a former President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, said that UNASUR is working with a number of pharmaceutical manufactures to make the drugs available.
With regards to the prices of drugs, Samper said that UNASUR was cognizant of the fact that drugs in some countries are almost double the price.
Also present at the press conference yesterday was Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who said that UNASUR has developed a list of priority projects, including seven infrastructural ones.
In December, the nine priority projects were submitted to the Heads of Government for approval.
One of the projects included a Brazil/Georgetown/Suriname highway and another one that will link Venezuela/Guyana/Suriname. The projects will also involve a bridge across the Corentyne River. Suriname has started to seek financing, engaging the Chinese. Guyana has issued contracts to build the access roads to the proposed location in Moleson Creek.
According to Samper, UNASUR is also concentrating working on a common passport for its 12 member countries, allowing visa-free travel for citizens. Work is also underway for the recognition of university degrees in each other’s states.
Already, eight of the South American countries have agreements for visa waivers.
The Secretary General of UNASUR is the legal representative of its Secretariat.
The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty was signed on 23 May 2008, at the Third Summit of Heads of State, held in Brasília, Brazil. As the Constitutive Treaty entered into force on 11 March 2011, UNASUR became a legal entity during a meeting of Foreign Ministers in Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador, where they had laid the foundation stone for the Secretariat Headquarters.

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