As international leaders gathered in New York yesterday to evaluate Central America's progress during the past two decades, President Oscar Arias and Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno rallied support for their Costa Rica Consensus, a proposal designed to reduce military spending in the developing world.
Arias spoke at the United Nations during an event held to commemorate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Central American Peace Accords, signed Aug. 7, 1987 in Guatemala to bring an end to the region's conflicts.
At a conference on the challenges facing Central America today, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the drug trade and rising crime in the region have the potential to “erode support for democracy,” according to the U.N. Web site.
“Crime scares away investors. It encourages ‘brain drain,'” said Ban, who also pledged U.N. support for Central American governments.
For his part, Arias, one of the accords' signatories during his first presidential term (1986-1990), urged listeners to support the Costa Rica Consensus, which encourages developed nations to provide increased foreign aid to developing countries that decrease their military spending.
Stagno pitched the proposal to an audience that included renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd at a conference at New York's Helmsley Hotel, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial. |
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