The Feminine Side of CAFTA
As part of the activities organized to commemorate this year's International Women's Day, a panel discussion on the potential effects the free-trade agreement between Central American and the U.S. (CAFTA) could have on women was held at the University of Costa Rica's Social Sciences Faculty auditorium.
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Tico Insect Exhibited at World Bank
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP) -- A group of curious onlookers gathered inside the entranceway of the World Bank headquarters pushed and nudged each other yesterday to get a glimpse of "Metamasius Wolfensohni," an insect discovered in 1998 in Costa Rica that has come the centerpiece of the Bank's exhibit of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, running from southern Mexico to Panama.
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National Liberation Sanctions Arias
As the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) held a public hearing on the initiative to allow reelection, Former President and Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias -- who has made public his intention to run again for President if allowed by the Sala -- was sanctioned by his political party's ethics tribunal for not voting for the party's candidate in last December's mayoral elections.
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BLOU in Concert
The group from Nova Scotia will be giving a free public concert in San Pedro, at the Teatro Eugene
O'Neill, C.R.-North American Cultural Center, Tues., March 18, at 8 p.m. Info: 296-4149.


Annual Orchid Show
Don’t miss more than 1500 species of Orchids on March 14-16, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., El Tobogán Turist Center, 300 m. north of La República newspaper, Barrio Tournón. Info: 223-6517.

IV Promise of Life Walk/Run
To benefit the Rose Massuh Foundation for the prevention of Sudden Death Syndrome, Sun., March 16, at Parque La Sabana.

The walk (3.6 K) 8:30 a.m., the run (10K) at 9:30 a.m., including a family festival with healthy food and music. Registration through March 15 at Runners – Pavas and Curridabat, Palacio del Deporte – San José, Fábrica Nacional de Trofeos – San Jose, Do Sport – Cartago. Info: 220-4298, 232-0350.

The Feminine Side of CAFTA
By Fabián Borges
Tico Times Staff

As part of the activities organized to commemorate this year's International Women's Day, a panel discussion on the potential effects the free-trade agreement between Central American and the U.S. (CAFTA) could have on women was held at the University of Costa Rica's Social Sciences Faculty auditorium.

The panel's goal was to spark a debate between several influential women on how CAFTA will affect lives of working women and what steps must be taken to make the most of the treaty and use it to generate new development opportunities for the country.

The panelists were Women's Affairs Minister Esmeralda Britton, Congresswoman Epsy Campbell, CAFTA negotiator for Costa Rica Anabelle González, President of the Chamber of Exporters Doris Osterloff, and Juliana Martínez of the NGO Fundación Acceso.

Britton argued the main goal of any free-trade agreement needed to be an improvement in the quality of life of every citizen and the creation of new opportunities for every sector of society, particularly women and the poor.

CAFTA must help reduce the disparity between the rich and the poor and help to eliminate the gender gap, she said, adding that it needs to serve as a tool that will make it possible for the poorest sectors of society to find jobs and prosper.

Campbell criticized the Foreign Trade Ministry for not being transparent about the negotiation's goals. So far, it has only informed the country on the positive aspects of the treaty and has not mentioned what the country stands to lose, she noted.

"Negotiations are a give and take process; for every positive aspect, there's a negative one. We've been informed on all of the potential benefits, but none of the risks," she explained. "Depending on how it is implemented, CAFTA can serve as a great tool for Central America's development. However, there is no guarantee that the whole of society will benefit from it."

The agreement must include measures that will create opportunities for women and will reduce poverty and unemployment. "An effort must be made to take into account the human element during these negotiations," she argued.

González argued that free-trade agreements are just one part of the country's development strategy, and not a "magic wand" capable of solving all of all of its problems.

The treaty's goals are to guarantee Costa Rican exports' place in the U.S. market, insure lower consumer prices and increase direct foreign investment. The government will need to take specific measures to combat poverty and unemployment in addition to the treaty, she said.

The treaty will directly affect the lives of women. By guaranteeing a market for Costa Rican exports, it will provide thousands of women with greater job stability. Nearly 80% of agricultural export companies' employees are women, many of them single mothers.

Lower import costs will allow small companies, most of which employ women, to import machinery and material at a lower cost, she added.

"About 75% of Costa Rica's negotiating team is made up of women," she explained. "We promise to be sensitive to the needs of the country's women."

Osterloff was confident the treaty would benefit working women. She noted the importance of establishing an open dialogue between all sectors of society to discuss the treaty.

She urged college students present at the event to play a more active role in discussing and contributing to the negotiations by informing themselves on the treaty instead of opposing it without fully understanding what it could mean.

Martínez, meanwhile, blasted the treaty for only benefiting a small sector of society.

"Nearly 95% of all Costa Rican companies produce for the local market," she explained. "The majority of women work for these companies. For the last 15 years, we've been implementing policies that benefit only 5% of businesses."

The treaty will create mostly low-paying jobs, she said.

Martínez explained that she is not opposed to the general idea of free-trade agreements. However, in its current form, CAFTA would continue to expand the gap between rich and poor that has increased steadily since the export-based development model went into effect in the mid-1980s.

Tico Insect Exhibited at World Bank

TICO BICHO

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP) -- A group of curious onlookers gathered inside the entranceway of the World Bank headquarters pushed and nudged each other yesterday to get a glimpse of "Metamasius Wolfensohni," an insect discovered in 1998 in Costa Rica that has come the centerpiece of the Bank's exhibit of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, running from southern Mexico to Panama.

The insect was named in honor of World Bank President James Wolfensohn.

"It's an ugly thing," commented one spectator at yesterday's inauguration of the exhibit.

The exhibit, which commemorates the World's Bank donating more than $100 million to preserve and protect the biological corridor in the last six years, demonstrates the area's richness in human and natural diversity. Despite its relative small size, the Mesoamerican Corridor contains 7-8% of the world's biodiversity and is home to more than 40 different languages, according to the World Bank.

The exhibit also shows the importance of space technology used to identify the impact of human deforestation and locating forest fires.

David de Ferranti, Latin American Vice-President of the World Bank, said that, between all the bilateral and multilateral institutions involved in the area, more than $300 million have been invested in development and preservation projects in the biological corridor.

"The goal of all this is to reduce poverty; if we are not working to reduce poverty, we are failing at our jobs," added Martin Raine, head of the Bank's environmental protection agency.

In addition to the Tico insect, the exhibit features indigenous masks from the region, different species of butterflies and various other insects.