The president of Costa Rica receives the Earth Charter

November 6, 2000 marked a very special date during which the Earth Charter was presented to the President of Costa Rica. The ceremony was enhanced with the presence of Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council, who opened the evening event, speaking of the importance of the Earth Charter. He stated: "The challenges of moving onto this new pathway need to be guided by a set of principles for ecological security based on sustainable development. The Earth Charter, as an ethical guideline, is a vehicle for addressing these challenges and stimulating change."

The President of Costa Rica, Miguel Angel Rodríguez Echeverría, gracefully accepted the Earth Charter offered to him in a symbolic gesture by Costa Rican youth. In this gesture, the youth requested the President to take this into serious consideration. The President stated: " …I gratefully receive this manifesto in the name of all Costa Ricans. I receive it as a life and hopeful declaration of the peoples of the world facing the challenges of the new millennium, a call for a shared and differentiated universal responsibility, that humanity must undertake in search of its own well-being". The event was also honored with the presence of Mr. Nitin Desai, Under Secretary to the United Nations and speeches from Guillermo Vargas, Minister of Education and Elizabeth Odio, Vice-president of Costa Rica, who stated " We are here, and in receiving this Charter, we commit to these principles". The presentation culminated with a concert by Manuel Obregón, composer and pianist, whose beautiful compositions are inspired by the sounds of nature and the visual and audio footage that accompany his presentation.

This day and evening was yet another demonstration of the Earth Charter’s importance in world issues as well as an artistic expression of the beauty of our environment that we must strive to protect.

We encourage you to demonstrate your support of the Earth Charter by endorsing it online: http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/template/endorse/.