Brazil to host Mercosul meeting on Human Rights

Organizations criticize the lack of agenda with a focus on migration and request the creation of a working group on the topic

(Santa Fé - Argentina, 07/17/2019) President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro poses for a photo with the other Heads of State and Government of Mercosur. Photo: Alan Santos/PR

Between November 27 and 29, Brazil will host the 34th edition of the Mercosur
Meeting of High Authorities on Human Rights and Foreign Ministries. The meeting
takes place twice a year and is responsible for reflecting on and setting the block’s
human rights agenda.

Given the distancing of the Mercosur’s human rights bodies from the main discussions
on migration in the region and the legal setbacks adopted by some States, Conectas
and another 16 civil society organizations have requested, in a letter, the creation of a
working group on the topic and criticized the absence of an agenda focusing on
migration issues at this meeting.

According to the organizations, the Mercosur has in recent years played a key role in
migration issues and it also contributed to the approval of new migration laws for
Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru between 2003 and 2017. They said it is
essential to reaffirm this commitment in order to tackle the Venezuelan migration
crisis.

“Establishing a working agenda focused on regularization would allow States to
address Venezuelan migration and at the same time lay the structural foundations to
respond effectively to other migration flows,” reads the document.

Finally, they stress the importance of regional coordination on the matter, with the
implementation of policies based on the guarantee of rights. Among the suggested
measures is the application of the Residency Agreement for nationals of Mercosur
States, which ensures the right to residency and to work for all citizens based on
nationality alone. According to the agreement, citizens of signatory States can request
up to two years residency in another country of the bloc.

 Read the document in full here (in Spanish)