THE GEORGETOWN Declaration formally marks the end of the 4th UNASUR Summit in Georgetown, Guyana. Undoubtedly, this Summit was of immense historic significance to this country, if only for the reason that Guyana, through President Bharrat Jagdeo, will be one of the formidable contributors shaping the destiny of South American integration for the next year.

Of course, the new opposition, that is, the media, commenced their predictable spin that not much will come out of this Summit, as was the case with the Rio Summit here in 2007; thus spoke Stabroek News’ editorial on the same day as the Heads of State met in Georgetown. My first reaction was that the new opposition has little knowledge about the benefits of the Rio Summit, and secondly, the new opposition’s premature dismissal of any meritorious aspect of this UNASUR Summit somehow borders on questioning its patriotic fervor. But I will not even bother with their doomsday fantasy.

Jagdeo has a vision for South American integration. He makes no bones about the great need to protect the deepening democratic identity of South America; to prevent any violation of the democratic process by fly-by-night and misguided political aspirants. Jagdeo wants to remove the economic asymmetries bedeviling South America, so that all of South America can become prosperous; one of Jagdeo’s concerns, in this context, pertains to arresting human and economic undercapitalization, and indeed, stop the social drama of poverty and exclusion of dispossessed people throughout the continent.

Jagdeo’s concerns with economic asymmetries are true to the spirit and content of the Cuzco and Ayacucho Declarations of 2004. President Jagdeo and other Presidents of the South American Republics are conscious that they should not solely depend on sustained economic growth to enhance living standards and advance economic development. The UNASUR family knows that economic growth and better standards of living will flow through equitable distribution of income, better access to education, social cohesion and inclusivity, and environmental preservation. It is clear that Jagdeo and other Heads of State see UNASUR as an integration expanding outside of the parameters of economic and commercial entities and overtures of Mercosur and CAN.

The new UNASUR President will push for greater cooperation in the environmental area – protecting biological diversity, water resources, ecosystems, and reducing the impact of long-term climate change. UNASUR’s first test will be speaking with one South American voice at the climate change meeting at Cancun, Mexico.

All the Presidents in the South American Republics know that regional integration is a must, given internal and external economic shocks, inter alia. Some time ago, I said: “But regional integration is South America’s only way out to end the deepening effects of globalization: social exclusion, economic stagnation, inequality, and shocks from the human ecological interface; this regional integration is fast happening in the form of the SACN; an integration that transcends commercial aspects; a new integration not beholden to multinationals that drive the usual trade integration for profit-making.”

All regions globally have regional integration; it is time for South America to have its own home-grown integration.