“I thank the immense honor of being here in the PNND Assembly and to be able to address all of you.
Costa Rica is one of five small countries that integrate the narrow strip that unites North America with South America. Independence came in 1821. Costa Rica is now a country that loves freedom, democracy and peace.
1. In 1948, the army was abolished and this was formally introduced in the 1949 Constitution. Its budget was allocated to the promotion of health and educational programs. Costa Rica followed the road of enhancing diplomatic dialogue for the resolution of its conflicts, being then one of the countries that intervened in the International Court of Justice en The Hague for the abolition of nuclear weapons in 1996.
2. In 2003 Costa Rica, along with Malaysia, undertook the initiative that conformed the NPT, that includes the five points that the United Nations promotes through its Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
3. When I was a Member of Parliament, a way in which I could promote non-
proliferation and disarmament was the unanimous approval by the Costa Rican
Legislative Assembly for the NPT.
4. Costa Rica contributed as well by presenting this unanimous support in May 2010 at the PNND conference in the UN.
5. Now we turn our eyes towards fomenting NWFZ, such as Latin America, where
Costa Rica and other countries from Latin America, signed the Tlatelolco Treaty forty four years ago, as a way to prevent nuclear weapons from existing in Latin America. Along the way towards nuclear non proliferation and disarmament, new zones have started to emerge, which is a sign of hope for Members of Parliament, Mayors For Peace and civil society to form clear initiatives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and foment a nuclear free world”.
