The Government of Guyana, as the Chair of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), will be hosting the II Meeting of the Council on Social Development and the XXIX Meeting of the Council of Delegates, at the Guyana International Conference Centre from today to Thursday. According to a press release from the Head, UNASUR Pro Tempore Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Audrey Jardine-Waddell, the meeting of the Council on Social Development will review the 2009 – 2011 Plan of Action adopted by the First Meeting of the Council in Ecuador in 2009.

The release said that the Action Plan includes the formulation of guidelines for the establishment of common social Development Policies among UNASUR Member States, as well as creation of technical working groups in the field of Social Development and the promotion of cooperation in border areas, in an effort to reduce poverty in those areas.

Today, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand will chair the Ministerial Meeting of the Council on Social Development.

“Further, the Council of Delegates will review the activities of the various councils and working Groups of UNASUR, in order to provide guidance to the work being undertaken by these bodies in 2011,” the release said.

The Council of Delegates will also examine a proposal by Guyana on the organizational structure and budget for the Permanent Secretariat of UNASUR which is soon to be constructed in Quito, Ecuador.

Two weeks ago, UNASUR foreign ministers met in Quito to celebrate the entry into force of the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty and discuss the appointment of a secretary-general.

In November 2010, Guyana successfully hosted the IV Regular Summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), boosting the country’s international image and providing many more opportunities for the development of national pride in Guyana’s collective accomplishments. Prime Minister Sam Hinds led the preparatory team for this summit and Cabinet lauded him and the team for their exemplary work.

Guyana’s Chairmanship of the bloc has led to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds’ representation of Guyana in Argentina for discussions on the selection of a new Secretary-General of UNASUR to replace the late Nestor Kirchner, who died in October last year.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, speaking at a press conference in December, 2010, noted that Guyana’s ascension to the pro tempore presidency of the body shows that Guyana has impressed upon the leadership of the South American countries that it has an important role to play in the destiny of the continent and the region as a whole.

On November 26, Guyana hosted 12 Heads of State and Delegations of the 12 member states of UNASUR for the IV Regular Summit at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, where the chairmanship of the union was handed over from Ecuadorian President Raphael Correa to President Jagdeo.

Leaders who attended the summit, including then Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, all expressed confidence in President Jagdeo’s leadership.