Today, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay signed the Presidential Declaration of Buenos Aires, in which they ratified their commitment to "join efforts" in order to consolidate the growth of their economies, eradicate poverty, create jobs, improve education and take advantage of the boom of new technologies, among other important issues in the light of the challenges posed by the 21st century.
Within the framework of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference, which is being held in the city of Buenos Aires, the states agreed on "the importance of preserving and strengthening" the multilateral trade system and its dispute settlement mechanism.
With 2017 marking the 70th anniversary of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the states ratified their goals to improve the standard of living of their people, to achieve full employment and to boost production and trade in goods and services that "contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals".
The Declaration was signed by the Presidents of Argentina, Mauricio Macri; Brazil, Michel Temer; Paraguay, Horacio Cartes; and Uruguay, Tabaré Vázquez. It was also signed by the Chilean Foreign Minister, Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela; the Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Lorena Gutiérrez; the Secretary of Economy of the United Mexican States, Idelfonso Guajardo Villarreal; the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Eduardo Ferreyros; and the permanent representatives in Geneva of Suriname, Reggy Nelson, and of Guyana, John Ronald Dipchandra Ford.
The statement was read by Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie at the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Conference, which was held at the Exhibition and Convention Centre of the City of Buenos Aires.
Press release No. 574/17
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