Global Ambassador's Journal Vol 3, Issue 3 December 2019

Esteban Venegas @Unsplash
Costa Rica: The Path to Bicentennial Independence
H.E. Fernando Llorca Castro,
Ambassador of the Republic of
Costa Rica to the United States
of America. Former Minister of
Health and Chair of CCSS (Costa
Rican Social Security Institution).
On September 15, 2021, Costa Rica
will celebrate 200 years of Independence.
The current President of the Republic,
Carlos Alvarado Quesada (2018-2022) has
declared his administration as a transitional
government that will ensure the continuity
of Costa Rican values and principles.
President Quesada’s administration prides
itself on the successful development
of many areas along with expanding
and repairing the trajectory of the
nation, as President Quesada puts it
“unleashing the knots of our well-being.”
According to the 2019 Happiness Report,
Costa Rica ranks 1st in Latin America
and 12th in the world for happiness
levels. “The happiness of a people lies
in their absence of fear to face the
future” and Costa Rica consistently
ranks among other developed countries.
Costa Rican welfare state
Costa Rica is proud to celebrate 71 years
without an army and 78 years of social
guarantees. With a population of 5 million,
32% of individuals are between 15 to 34
years old. Its inhabitants are becoming
older and the resident’s pyramid is turning
into a cylindric figure. With a labor pool
of 2.3 million people expected by 2020,
the total labor force has grown at a rate of
1.5% between 2010 and 2017, according
to the National Stats Institute (INEC),
and there is a female labor force of 40%.
On the topic of gender equality, the
Balance for Better Movement recognized
Costa Rica as a regional leader for the
participation of women in politics,
diplomacy and international relations. In
1949 we became the 98th country in the
world to grant women’s suffrage; 56 years
after the first country in the world did
so. However, since then, Costa Rica has
rapidly developed a long list of symbolic
conquests in this field. Currently, 43%
of the Governing Council and almost
half of the Legislative Assembly (46%) is
comprised of women. The face of Costa
Rican diplomacy is also female, 54% of
Costa Rican diplomats are women. In
the rank of ambassador, there is almost
complete parity with 46% of ambassadors
being women. Costa Rica elected the first
Afro-American descendent women as
Vice President of the Republic in 2018.
Costa Rica ranks number 1 in Human
Capital in Latin America and 29th in
the world (considering the general level
of skills of the workforce and health)
according to the Global Competitiveness
Report 2018 and the Human Development
Report 2018 with 97.4% of adult literacy
rate.
Since 1870 education in Costa Rica is basic,
free and mandatory for boys and girls
with a traditional academic program of
5 years and technical curricula of 6 years.
Education expenditure in 2018 was 7.36%
of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Costa Rica is number one in English
proficiency across Latin America and
Costa Rican workers can provide services
abroad in 13 languages. In 2018 the Costa
Rican government made a commitment to
making Costa Rica a truly bilingual country,
setting English as a national priority. The
initiative will be undertaken by the Ministry
of Education, the National Training
Institute and private sector schools.
With strong public and private health
care system, Costa Rica has fought
Global Ambassador’s Journal | Vol. III, Issue 3, December 2019 07