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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
USAID PRESS RELEASE
50 Year Partnership Between USAID and Costa Rica On July 24, 1996 in San Jose, Costa Rica, J. Brian Atwood, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will commemorate 50 years of U.S. - Costa Rica cooperation as USAID officially closes its mission in Costa Rica.
The U.S. government has provided $1.7 billion to Costa Rica since 1946. This assistance has funded over 1,000 diverse activities ranging from technical assistance to construct water systems to dramatic macroeconomic policy efforts. Costa Rica's per capita income of nearly $2,500 compares to only $1,000 in 1950, and U.S. exports to Costa Rica have increased five times in the last 10 years to more than $2 billion in 1995.
USAID's program in Costa Rica encompassed the four areas of sustainable development: promoting economic growth; supporting democracy; protecting the environment; and, improving health and population conditions. Following are some program highlights:
Promoting economic growth
Costa Rica's transformation from an economy based largely on traditional agriculture to today's market economy is a proven success. During the turbulent 1980s, USAID provided technical assistance to Costa Rican policy reformers who worked to eliminate price controls and open markets to international competition, as well as privatize state-owned enterprises. Support for private banks financed an export boom, increasing wages and reducing poverty.
Overall Costa Rican trade grew sharply in the '80s, particularly non-traditional exports, which were a central focus of the U.S. economic assistance throughout the 1980's and early '90s. Costa Rica's exports grew from $844 million in 1986 to $1.5 billion in 1990. Between 1983 and 1992, the value of non- traditional exports soared from $90 million to $781 million, while the proportion of export earnings represented by non-traditional exports quadrupled.
Costa Rica's primary resource is its people. USAID contributed to their education in numerous ways, including sending more than 5,000 Costa Ricans to the United States for training.
USAID programs provided technical assistance and training to improve the business climate and position Costa Rica's entrance into a more competitive marketplace. Trade and investment interventions were largely executed by the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives (CINDE). Investment promotion programs implemented by CINDE were instrumental in attracting $417 million in new investment from firms in Europe, Asia and the United States by 1993. These investments created 56,000 jobs. More than 30,000 people from over 8,000 companies participated in seminars organized by CINDE. Given the remarkable results achieved, multilateral development institutions have recognized Costa Rica as one of Latin America s most successful trade development programs.
Supporting democracy
Since the 1950s, USAID has supported the development of Costa Rica's democratic institutions. USAID has supported improvements in public safety, tax reform, budget reform, municipal and community development, privatization, legislative support, administration of justice and legal reforms.
More recently, USAID launched a pilot effort in the municipalities of Perez Zeledon and Puriscal for local government decentralization and strengthening.
Protecting the environment
With support from the Kellogg Foundation and the Costa Rican government, USAID financed the Agricultural School for the Humid Tropical Region (EARTH). EARTH is a four-year regional agricultural college with a working farm, and a philosophy of learning by doing, the first such college in the lowland humid tropics. EARTH is educating a corps of creative experts in agriculture in one of the globe's most difficult ecosystems. It is also carrying out basic research, including an experiment recently carried out aboard the Space Shuttle "Discovery" to help reduce the deadly "Chagas" disease.
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, USAID's Parks in Peril program has actively worked in Costa Rica to recruit, train and equip park rangers; install basic infrastructure; promote community participation in natural resource management; and identify and develop long-term financing for park management.
Improving health and population
Costa Rica has placed a great emphasis on public health and family planning, and the payoffs have been considerable. In 1950, the average Costa Rican woman had seven children. Today, the average number of children per couple is three. During the same period, infant mortality fell from 110 per thousand to 13 - - one of the fastest rates of decrease in the world. These smaller, better cared for, and more productive families, are a direct result of declining infant mortality, strong education and the availability of family planning services. USAID support for family planning, began in the late '60s and included both private organizations and the public sector. Support for innovative private organizations like PROFAMILIA made family planning services available throughout the country. Initial support from USAID helped these organizations get started, and today they are entirely self-supporting.
# # # 23 July 1996
Return to USAID press release index.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
