The Foreign Policy of Costa Rica.

 

 

Costa Rican foreign policy is based in the principles and values that lead the multicultural and multiethnic Costa Rican society such as: peace, democracy, rule of law, disarmament, human rights, protection of the environment and human development which have guided the international relations of our country with other nations and our position at multilateral organizations.

Peace:

Costa Rica has been a country of peace since its origins, its independence from Spain was declared peacefully on September 15, 1821. Having strong ties with justice, equity, solidarity, tolerance, dignity, human rights and democracy; Costa Rica has promoted and defended this values at internal and international level through dialogue, consensus, and the implementation of a social and economic development.

Democracy:

Costa Rica’s solid democratic system had its beginning since the 1880s, with two brief interruptions in 1917 and 1948. Its political regime has been representative, pluralist, and participative. Ever since our nation has been governed by teachers and lawyers. This has certainly influenced the way we have conducted ourselves. Most Costa Ricans since this period have owned at least a small piece of land, usually were their home is located, this may be one of the reasons why our nation has never been a fertile ground for revolutionary groups. The fact that education and health have been national priorities has influenced the making of important decisions such as the abolishment of the armed forces, decision that lead to the social and economic development of the second part of the last century. Our own history is the main reason why we have so vehemently defended democracy and the rule of law. More recently, Costa Rica has been a key player in the establishment of the Democratic Clause of the Free Trade Area of the Americas process, promoting a Democratic Charter, which was adopted in San Jose, then ratified in Peru on September 10, 2001.

Disarmament:

After the abolishment of the army in 1948, the country established a new model and definition of security, resigning the use of force to solve international conflicts and choosing to solve problems by peaceful means. In this way Costa Rica trusted its interest of national defense and its borders to Collective Security according to the United Nations and Inter-American systems as well as the international law. Since then, Costa Rica promotes and defends at international forums the cause of disarmament as one of the most important principles of its foreign policy. Taking into account the new integral definition of security, Costa Rica has not only been the pioneer in practicing unilateral disarmament but also the visionary, by adopting a civilian concept of security based on citizen/community security and social and economic development. Some of the most important successfully initiatives of our country in this issue recently are: a-The Central American Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons held in San Jose-Costa Rica on December 2001, which was adopted a Regional Matrix to support the United Nations Program on this matter. b- Last December 2002, Costa Rica was the first Central American country declared free of landmines.

Human rights

The protection and promotion of Human Rights has also been one of the main topics of interest for our nation both at an Inter-American level as well as internationally. It was through a Costa Rican proposal that the United Nations finally approved the creation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Costa Rica was also a key player in the adoption of the Inter-American Charter of Human Rights, called “Pact of San Jose”. Furthermore, our capital city is also the host of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations University for Peace, amongst other institutions.

In the field of the international fight against torture, Costa Rica has also been a leader. Our former Vice President 1998-2002 Ms. Elizabeth Odio has presided over the United Nations Special Committee for the Adoption of the Protocol Against Torture. Thanks to her efforts and support by friendly nations, this Protocol was adopted on April 2002 by the United Nations Commission of Human Rights in Geneva.

Protection of the Environment

Óscar Arias Sánchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica
Launch of Peace with Nature Initiative.

" Our country decided to declare Peace with Nature long ago, by this same name or by other names. We would not have come as far as we have if this were not so. What we intend through this new initiative is to bring renewed vigor to Costa Rica’s ecological character, to make a qualitative and quantitative leap as we struggle to conserve our natural resources ".
Costa Rica commits to becoming carbon neutral (or “C-Neutral”) by the year 2021. This is an ambitious goal, which will require the utmost effort on the part of all Costa Ricans and the next several administrations. We are going to compensate for the carbon dioxide that we emit, with equivalent amounts of oxygen, so that by our 200th birthday in 2021, Costa Rica will not contribute at all to global climate change or to the deterioration of the quality of the air we breathe. Multiple actions must complement this effort:

1- significant reduction in the tax on hybrid automobiles and other vehicles that use renewable energy.
2- requiring all State institutions to design and implement an environmental action plan.
3- increase in our forest cover and the size of our protected areas.
4- promote a curriculum of sustainable development and environmental education in our elementary and high schools.

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