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GGGI to open a Country Office in Costa Rica to support the country’s green agenda

November 22, 2021; Seoul, Republic of Korea – H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, visited the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) headquarters today, during which Costa Rica and GGGI signed the Host Country Agreement. The Agreement was signed by H.E. Rodolfo Solano Quirós, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, and Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of GGGI, and witnessed by H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the President of Costa Rica, and H.E. Ban Ki-moon, President and Chair of GGGI and the Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations.

H.E. Ban Ki-moon, President and Chair of GGGI, opened the signing ceremony with remarks commending Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity, beautiful environment, and ambitious commitment to fighting climate change. He added that “With the Host Country Agreement and a new Country Office in San José, I hope GGGI can help Costa Rica to do more in country and share Costa Rica’s experience with other Members of GGGI.”

Following remarks by President & Chair Mr. Ban Ki-moon, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada emphasized that in 2015, Costa Rica promised to the world to become a laboratory for decarbonization by 2050.

“We recognize GGGI as a strategic partner toward the transformation of the economy in accordance with the National Decarbonization Plan and the green economic recovery.”

President Carlos Alvarado Quesada expressed hope for strengthening partnership with GGGI to boost his country’s green growth plan, citing its link to the Green Climate Fund and the Republic of Korea.

In his remarks, Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of GGGI, shared that “Costa Rica is known as an environmental leader globally and is one of the greenest countries in the world. As GGGI is supporting a trilateral cooperation between the Republic of Korea, Mexico, and Central America, and with Nicaragua recently becoming a Member of GGGI and Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala all expressing interest to join the organization, we look forward to partnering with Costa Rica to explore a number of opportunities and share its experience with other Central American countries.”

“I am confident that the Host Country Agreement we signed today will serve as a basis for starting a partnership and through opening an office in Costa Rica, we plan to develop a strong pipeline of projects to help mobilize green and climate finance to support the country’s green agenda,” said Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of GGGI.

Costa Rica has been a Member of GGGI since 2014 and served on the GGGI Council from 2014 to 2018. The Host Country Agreement signed today will provide a legal basis for GGGI and its staff to operate in Costa Rica.