American organizations
The graphic provides an overview of membership in the most important international organizations on the American continent – and, we believe, with success. But above all: up to date. The graphic shows (from outside to inside)
- OAS
- NAFTA
- CELAC
- PROSUR (under construction since March 22, 2019)
- UNASUR (in dissolution)
- CAN (Andean Community)
- MERCOSUR
- CARICOM
- ALBA
According to AVIATIONOPEDIA.COM, the numbers in brackets after the names or abbreviations of the organizations indicate the number of full members. The meaning of the abbreviations can be found in the table at the bottom of the page. For details on the major American organizations, use the menu on the left.
Organizations in the Americas
The above-mentioned American organizations are shown geographically in the graphic opposite. The new organization PROSUR and the disbanding organization UNASUR have not been incorporated.
The Central American Integration System (Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana – SICA), an institutional framework for the regional integration of eight states in Central America including the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, is not included in either of the graphics on this website.
Recommendation: Print out both the graphics and the table so that you can see these related and complementary parts together.
Table
overview of the American organizations referred to on this website
| OAS | Organization of American States (Organization of American States) |
| NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement (North American Free Trade Agreement) |
| CELAC | Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños) |
| PROSUR | Forum for Progress and Development in South America (Foro para el Progreso y Desarrollo de América del Sur) |
| UNASUR | Union of South American Nations (Unión de Naciones Suramericanas) |
| CAN | Andean Community (formerly Andean Pact) (Comunidad Andinas) |
| MERCOSUR | Common Market of the South (= South America) (Mercado Comun del Sur) |
| CARICOM | Caribbean Community ( Caribbean Community and Common Market) |
| ALBA | Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America / Trade Treaty of the Peoples ( Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América / Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos – ALBA-TCP ) |
THE MERCOSUR AT A GLANCE
Background
The organization was founded in March 1991 with the signing of the agreement for the creation of a common market in Latin America by the presidents of four South American states in Asunción.
Goals
The goals are free movement of goods and services, common external tariffs and the coordination of economic, monetary and industrial policy.
Member States (5)
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Associated States (7)
Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Peru, Suriname
Note:
– Bolivia has been in the accession process since 2015.
– Mexico and New Zealand are observer states.
– An association is being negotiated with Mexico.
organization
The Ouro Preto protocol to the Mercosur Treaty of December 1994 gave Mercosur international legal capacity and its own institutions. The small General Secretariat of the Community got its seat in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.
Further external link
- Mercosur
(Official website of Mercosur, presented by the Uruguay Secretariat – in Spanish, Portuguese and English)
Comment
Mercosur (including Venezuela) had around 300 million inhabitants in 2018 with a GDP of around 3,000 billion US dollars – this corresponds to around 60% of the EU population and 17% of EU GDP.
Still pronounced national competitiveness thinking and severe economic and financial crises make the ambitious goals of Mercosur seem hardly feasible at the moment. The Venezuela crisis from 2016 and the associated changing organizational forms on the South American continent must show whether Mercosur can hold its own against its competitors.
