During a meeting with Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Arnoldo André during the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) High Level Week here, Guterres described the Central American nation as an example to the world on issues such as climate change, disarmament and human rights, which are also part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
He also highlighted the humanitarian way in which the country receives the migratory flows and expressed his solidarity with Costa Rica in the face of these challenges that the country is facing and which require many resources to care for.
On this issue, the UN Secretary-General pointed out the urgency of financial reforms so that more assistance is available to the countries that have to deal with such situations, especially for countries such as Costa Rica, which are considered middle-income countries, since they This must be promoted by fair mechanisms that he has worked on, he explained.
For his part, Chancellor André highlighted the immigration situation, recalling that there are 250,000 refugee applications pending with the national authorities, which requires help and cooperation to be able to deal with these populations.
“Costa Rica cannot increase its public spending due to a budget problem that we must respect, and that is why we are calling for greater international financial support,” said the Chancellor.
He also thanked the UN Refugee Agency and the IOM (International Organization for Migration) for the work they are doing in the country, but admitted that it was inadequate.
In this sense, he told Guterres that Costa Rica and Panama are working on a common approach since it is an issue that concerns both nations.
Costa Rica’s foreign minister leads his country’s delegation to the United Nations since President Rodrigo Chaves canceled his participation for health reasons.
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