1987 Nobel Peace Prize LaureateFormer President of Costa Rica
for video and audio.
The interview in Spanish |
- Relive it here!On March 11, 1999, the Odyssey World Trek Team was honored to meet with Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez. Kevin and Monica asked him questions students submitted via e-mail.
At the young age of 42 he became President of Costa Rica. His peace plan ended the civil war in Nicaragua. He's won the Nobel and the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prizes. He founded the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. This is his story.
Costa Rica has had no military since 1949. It has very high rates of literacy and a strong economy. Its natural beauty extends from volcanoes to rainforests to beaches. It is home to such animals as jaguars, toucans and boa constricters.
Revolution in Nicaragua, ending in 1979, left 30,000 people dead. Civil war followed with over 100,000 people in arms in the 1980s. The US imposed a 5-year economic embargo on Nicaragua. In 1988, Oscar Arias's peace plan brought the war to an end.
Oscar's Story | Costa Rica | Oscar in Nicaragua
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