With the request to the South American alliance to return its building in Ecuador, the future of the organization becomes darker

Ecuador is already pending before the Union of South American Nations (USAN) the request to return the building that former President Rafael Correa had given to the organization for its operation. The building is located in the city Mitad del Mundo, located twelve kilometers from Quito, and cost 43.5 million dollars. The current president Lenín Moreno announced that the Intercultural University of Nationalities and Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador will operate in the building, according to El Comercio.

Leer en español: "Lamento mucho decirles que UNASUR está en una crisis": Evo Morales

The president argued the decision saying that "it is not fulfilling any task. Half of the members have been withdrawn. We will move USAN to another space." "USAN is abandoned, it has become a new 'white elephant', which at some point will have to consider another destination without us thinking about the possibility of closing USAN," he added.

Even the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, announced at a press conference, after meeting with the president-elect of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez: "I am very sorry to tell you that USAN is in a crisis."

USAN: one step from its end?

Taking IGNORE INTO account what the Ecuadorian president said, we must reevaluate what was done by the South American organization. To cope with the Venezuelan crisis, the South American alliance was inoperative and still is, since it has not been able to pronounce on the issue. In addition, during the difficult times that countries have gone through economically, USAN has not been able to do anything about it. Finally, the turn that the region has taken in political matters also puts it in a difficult area.

When it was talked about its creation, the twelve governments saw future in the organization: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Guyana. At that time, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in different locutions of USAN used the organization to compare it with the OAS, arguing that in this case there was no inherency of the United States.

You can also read: USAN: Organism that disintegrates little by little

By that time, the Latin American left was in power: Lula da Silva in Brazil, the Kirchners in Argentina, Morales in Bolivia, Correa in Ecuador and Chávez in Venezuela; but then USAN began to fracture. Since the departure of former Colombian President Ernesto Samper, as Secretary-General, it has not been possible to reach a consensus to find his successor. Even six of its members decided to suspend their contributions from the month of April, leaving Evo Morales, who holds the temporary presidency, in charge of the organization.

Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said in an interview with Radio Cooperativa that "we cannot be throwing money at an institution that does not work," assuring that the contribution was discontinued as a result of the fact that since the departure of Samper there has been no consensus at all. Ampuero said that the lack of consensus for something as simple as the designation of the Secretary-General demonstrates the lack of integration in the region.

According to official data of USAN, in its charter, each country must contribute $ 800,000 to pay their membership. Taking IGNORE INTO account the context within the organization, according to the April withdrawals, for governments it may be more useful to use that money in another destination.

Now considering Ecuador's request to ask for the return of the building, the fate of the organization is even more in doubt, even who is now in charge, Evo Morales, affirms what everyone said in secret: "USAN is in crisis."

LatinAmerican Post | Carlos Eduardo Gomez Avella

Translated from ""Lamento mucho decirles que UNASUR está en una crisis": Evo Morales"