Costa Rica’s multilateral vision of Sustainable Development and Climate Change

1. Costa Rica’s multilateral vision of Sustainable Development and Climate Change Lecture at The Fletcher School of Law And Diplomacy 16 November 2009 Amb. Jairo Hernandez-MilianAmbassador, Deputy Permanent Representativeof Costa Rica to the United Nations

2. Small is BEAUTIFUL! Being small can be a positive characteristic in the process of achieving sustainable development Country Area (square miles) Population (thousands) Density (Inh./Sq. Mile) Guatemala Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica Panamá 267.5 138.2 741.7 94.4 177.9 91.5 42.042 43.277 8.124 50.193 19.730 29.761 14.246 6.981 6.026 5.000 4.511 3.722

3. Central America at a glance... • 7 countries, over 40 million people • Democratically elected governments as the general rule • Peace achieved, but economic and social problems persist • Heavy infrastructure investment required to support economic growth • Region blessed with abundant hydro, wind, biomass, and geothermal resources, and with a nice share of the world’s biodiversity.

4. Central America at a glance... • Emphasis on trade and more open economies, simultaneously with an increase in inequality. • Integration efforts halted by political disputes and fragmentation, disparities in development, and different rhythms and approaches to sustainability.

5. Central America The peace process • Region with a record of instability, violence and social inequalities. One of the last scenarios of the Cold War confrontation. • Peaceful settlement within the region (80’s): • Cease fires • Verification mechanisms • Opening of political systems

6. Central America A region under transition PEACE PROCESS STRENGTHENING OF DEMOCRACY INTEGRATION TO COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

7. The Global Economy Does it necessarily lead to ... True Competitiveness? Consistent Development? Sustainable Growth?

8. Central America: The need to shift the paradigm of development continues to be an urgent priority • Strong macroeconomic balances • Strategic investment in human development • Alliance with nature and the environment A broader agenda: Sustainable Development in Central America as a way to fight and win the war against poverty and inequality

9. Costa Rica’s distinctive path • Costa Rica abolished the army in 1948. Enacts a new constitution in 1949. • The country undertakes institutional reforms that led to a Welfare State that sets the foundations for a middle-class society and a stable democracy for the next decades.

10. Sustainable Development in Costa Rica • During the 60’s and the 70’s: Gradual transformation of the ecosystems, deforestation and pollution (air quality) • During the 80’s, the insertion of Costa Rica in the global commerce and economy had an impact on the environment • Most of these problems have been addressed but not yet solved

11. Sustainable Development in Costa Rica • Early 80’s: -Payment for environmental services -”Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación” (National System for Protected Areas). • Early 90’s: -Costa Rica seeks to promote incentives for economies in connection with sustainable development strategies -Agenda 21, Conventions on Biodiversity and Climate Change

12. Sustainable Development in Costa Rica • Protection of the ecosystems • Ecotourism • Renewable sources of energy

13. Sustainable Development in Costa Rica • The protection of the environment has a major importance in the political agenda • 0.03% of world’s surface and 5% of world’s biodiversity. • About 51% of the total surface is covered by forests • Close to 26% is under different protected categories • 1996: Forest clear cutting is forbidden by law

14. Costa Rica: national initiatives • Early 1997: Tax for the usage of fossil fuels to be invested in the management of forest carbon. • Strategy in the identification of suppliers and consumers of the environmental services. • Initiative to create an international fund for the conservation of a large scale of forests

15. Costa Rica: international initiatives The value of alliances in the international system! A proposal by Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea: Coalition for Rainforest Nations • In 2005 both countries co-sponsored the Coalition for Rainforest Nations for developing countries with tropical forests. • Both nations were concerned that over the last 8,000 years, the world has lost 50% of global forest cover (Net loss of 9.4 million hectares of forest a year during the 1990’s, FAO).

16. Costa Rica: international initiatives Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea initiative: • Reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries, an approach to stimulate action. • A call within the context of the UN Framework Convention on CC (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. • Create awareness on the present rates of deforestation within developing nations, acknowledge the resulting carbon emissions. • Open dialogue to develop scientific, technical, policy and capacity responses to address such emissions resulting from tropical deforestation.

17. Costa Rica: international initiatives Coalition for Rainforest Nations: • 1. Options for Reducing Emissions from Tropical Deforestation: Suggest options to include tropical deforestation emissions in an international response to climate change. • 2. Technical issues: Approach to emission reductions in developing countries and national baselines would make them easier to deal with. • 3. Use the UNFCCC to better draw developing nations toward emissions reductions by functioning as a mechanism to finance environmental sustainability.

18. Costa Rica: international initiatives Costa Rica and the UN-REDD: Deforestation and forest degradation: • Costa Rica joined the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) and remarked its importance in the control of climate change and its impacts. • Support to the Bali Action Plan (COP-13) 2007: Negotiate a post 2012 instrument, including possible financial incentives for forest-based Climate Change mitigation actions in developing countries.

19. Costa Rica: international initiatives Costa Rica and the UN-REDD: Deforestation and forest degradation: • Explore range of actions, identify options, and undertake efforts to address the drivers of deforestation. • Support capacity-building, provide technical assistance, facilitate the transfer of technology and address the institutional needs of developing nations to estimate and reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation.

20. Costa Rica: international initiatives Costa Rica and Climate Change in the present context: • Costa Rica recognizes the special vulnerability of developing countries in the process of combating climate change. • Importance of joint efforts from both developed and middle- income countries to achieve a real diminishment of greenhouse gases emissions. • Commitment to surpass the international mandate by becoming a “neutral emission country” by 2020. • The country remarks the fundamental character of accessibility to renewable energies in developing countries. Seeks efficiency in energy performance.

21. Costa Rica: international initiatives Collaborative efforts to address global issues: • Relevant inter-governmental organizations • Good working public institutions • Private sector • Civil Society A true multi-stakeholder network effort . . . towards real sustainable development

22. Costa Rica: international initiatives • A voice from middle-income countries • A call to abandon the shameful practice of evading responsibilities through the use of excuses and accusations • All countries have a share of responsibility, but some have more than others. (President Arias’ address, UN Summit on Climate Change, 22 Sep 09)

23. Costa Rica: international initiatives In sum, what is needed in the coming years: • Improve substantially the efficiency of our current energy consumption • Preserve the forests that are being destroyed by declaring protected areas, compensating the owners of private forests, and scaling up mechanisms such as the REDD initiative • Design multiple means to transfer information and technology, taking advantage of successful experiences. • Build creative and strong alliances between public and private sectors, transforming environmental protection into an asset and not an expenditure for our businesses. (President Arias’ address, UN Summit on Climate Change, 22 Sep 09)

24. Costa Rica: international initiatives International cooperation is possible and is needed: • Need of investments in the adaptation to climate change, especially in developing countries (given their geographic exposure, low income, greater dependence on agriculture, weak infrastructure, vulnerability to natural disasters) • Need of reorientation of cooperation for international development (it does not need to be erratic and lacking in priorities and strategic thinking). • Need to collectively forge an international platform against global warming upon which we can transfer aid, information and technology quickly from one country to another. (President Arias’ address, UN Summit on Climate Change, 22 Sep 09)

25. Costa Rica: international initiatives “The good news is that saving the planet is less expensive than annihilating it. What is more, solving the problem of global warming, and preserving life, would cost only a fraction of what we spend each year on the business of death. With a small fraction of the 13 trillion dollars that we will assign, as a minimum, to military spending in the next 10 years, we could cover the entire cost of stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions in the world. The most cynical of generals could say that the demented arms race builds a reserve for future emergencies. Today, I say to you that the emergency has arrived. The world has, in its military spending, a saving account that must be used to save our species from a very real enemy.” President Arias’ address, UN Summit on Climate Change, 22 Sep 09)