United States and Costa Rica sign cooperation agreement to support the development of a low-carbon economy.
San Jose, September 29, 2011
Minister Castro and Ambassador Anne S. Andrew sign a $1.5 million cooperative agreement to support a low emissions development strategy for Costa Rica, as Executive Secretary for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres looks on.
Ambassador Anne S. Andrew and the Minister of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications René Castro jointly announced that the U.S. government has awarded a million and half dollars in technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of Costa Rica to develop a low carbon economy.
Costa Rica was selected to be part of this program through their active participation in the initiative Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), announced by President Barack Obama at the Summit of the Americas in April of 2009.
This technical assistance meets the priorities and needs presented by the government of Costa Rica's Climate Change Strategy and its vision to develop an economy that is green and competitive. The primary objective of the initiative is to create long-term capacity, to articulate and establish the foundation for a clean economy, and to pursue prosperity in line with the goals of carbon neutrality, that Costa Rica undertook on a voluntary basis.
"Under the leadership of President Obama, the United States has done more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than ever before, through domestic policies to achieve progress in promoting clean development and engaging in the climate negotiations at international level," Ambassador Andrew said.
"Costa Rica's commitment to being carbon neutral in 2021 provides an important example for other countries in the region and the world. The United States is pleased to cooperate again with Costa Rica to help accelerate the transition to a low carbon future and leave a cleaner, healthier planet to future generations, "said Ambassador Andrew.
"This assistance from the U.S. government is very well received by Costa Rica, it is totally aligned with our goals of reducing carbon emissions with a focus on an eco-competitive approach," said Minister Rene Castro.