Above: Costa Rica

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Costa Rica is a “model country” for sustainable development and the protection of human rights, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on his first official visit to the country last week.

It was Ban’s second-ever visit to the country, following a trip as South Korea’s Foreign Minister in 2004.

“You are one of the few countries which does not maintain an army. You are one of the few countries in the region where people can freely walk around without feeling any fear of danger or threats,” Ban said. “You are an environmental example [and a] model country — such clean air, rainforests.”

Ban, who was addressing reporters ahead of a visit to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, said he hoped other UN member states would “emulate” Costa Rica.

“Costa Rica is a very important Member State, as a founding member of the United Nations, and it [has shown] many good examples under the United Nations Charter,” he said.