Political and Economic Section
The Political and Economic Section serves as a liaison between the U.S. and Costa Rican governments, often working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on issues under consideration at the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and in other fora.
The Section reports to U.S. government agencies about political and economic developments in Costa Rica as well as Costa Rica’s foreign policy. Staff members analyze macroeconomic trends and trade policies and their potential impact on U.S. interests, and they inform U.S. businesses about the local investment climate. The Section follows issues relating to human rights, trafficking in persons, labor rights, and refugees.
The Political and Economic Section directs U.S. government expertise, training, and material assistance to important governmental and non-governmental programs in Costa Rica. It provides training and equipment to help the government of Costa Rica increase the capacity of its law enforcement agencies to deal with rising crime levels and confront drug trafficking in the region. The Section also serves as the liaison for U.S. Department of Treasury experts who advise the government of Costa Rica on debt management, infrastructure financing, and money laundering. It collaborates with non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. government funding for work on issues ranging from the enhancement of Ministry of Labor inspection capacity, to the provision of micro-credit loans to female refugee entrepreneurs, to stemming the tide of human trafficking in the sex industry.
Issues in Focus
- The Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
- U.S. Economy
- Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
- Doha Round
- Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTA)
- Summit of Americas (SOA)
- Narcotics and Security
- US Assistance to Costa Rica
U.S. Economy
- White House Announcement of the Summit on Financial Markets and the Global Economy (October 22, 2008)
- Under Secretary David H. McCormick Remarks at Wharton’s Eleventh Annual Investment Management Conference (October 3, 2008) (pdf-74KB)
- President Bush Discusses the Economy (October 17, 2008)
- Overview of Rescue Package (October 8, 2008) (pdf-84KB)
- Overview of Rescue Package (Spanish)(October 8, 2008) (pdf-53KB)
Sectorial Links
- Trade, Commerce, & Finance
- Telecommunications, Transportation, & Tourism
- Energy & Environment
- Agriculture & Labor
- Development & Planning
- Social Services
- Costa Rica’s Current Business Climate
- International Economic Organizations
- U.S. Commercial Service
- Environment, Science, Technology, & Health
- Recent speakers on tax reform
Doha Round
- Supporting the Doha Development Round - (pdf-49KB)
- Trade Facts - (pdf-106KB)
- World Trade Organization (WTO): Doha Round
Trade, Commerce, & Finance
- Federal Trade Commission
- Office of the United States Trade Representative
- U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
- Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX)
- Costa Rican Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- Costa Rican Ministry of Finance
- U.S. Department of Treasury
- Costa Rican Central Bank
- U.S. Federal Reserve Bank
Telecommunications, Transportation, & Tourism
- Costa Rica Institute of Electricity (ICE)
- Costa Rican Directorate General of Civil Aviation
- FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration)
- U.S. Transportation Security Administration
- U.S. Department of State Travel Information
Energy & Environment
- Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE)
- Costa Rican Refinery of Petroleum
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Department of Interior
- OES (Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs)
Agriculture, Fisheries & Labor
- Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
- Costa Rican Ministry of Employment and Social Security
- U.S. Department of Labor
Development & Planning
- Costa Rican Ministry of National Planning and Economic Politics
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Social Services
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- U.S. Department of Education
- Costa Rican Ministry of Health
- Costa Rican National Institute of Insurance
- Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education
- Human Development Index
- Millennium Development Goal Indicators
Costa Rica's Current Business Climate
- Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb
- Economic Indicators - (PDF - 95kb)
- Business Rankings by the World Bank
Other U.S. Government Links
- The Federal Register
- U.S. Government Export Portal
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- U.S. International Revenue Service (IRS)
- Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)
- U.S. International Trade Commission
- World Fact Book
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Other Useful Costa Rican Government Links
International Economic Organizations
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- World Bank
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
- World Tourism Organization
- International Trade Centre
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