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Óscar Arias
President of Costa Rica (1986–1990, 2006–2010) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Óscar Arias Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈoskaɾ ˈaɾjas]; born 13 September 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican lawyer, economist, and political scientist. He served as President of the Republic of Costa Rica for two non-consecutive terms: 1986–1990 and 2006–2010. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987[1] for his peace plan[2] aimed at ending the brutal civil wars that were devastating Central America. In August of that same year, his Peace Plan was endorsed by Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
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The plan sought to ensure free elections, protect human rights, and end foreign interference in the internal affairs of these nations. It was a blueprint for promoting democracy and peace in the Central American isthmus during a time of intense turmoil. Thanks in part to Arias’s efforts, the various armed conflicts in the region came to an end over the following decade (Guatemala’s civil war officially ended in 1996).[3]
In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Arias has received many other honors, including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award and 93 honorary doctorates from prestigious universities around the world.
Most Notable Honorary Doctorates:
| University | Country |
| University of Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
| Harvard University | United States of America |
| Princeton University | United States of America |
| Dartmouth College | United States of America |
| Oberlin College | United States of America |
| Ithaca College | United States of America |
| Washington University in St. Louis | United States of America |
| University of Oviedo | Spain |
| Alfonso X el Sabio University | Spain |
| National Technical University (UTN) | Costa Rica |
| Cecilio Acosta Catholic University | Venezuela |
| University of Salamanca | Spain |
| Bahçeşehir University | Turkey |
| Yonsei University | South Korea |
| Kyung Hee University | South Korea |
International Recognitions:
| Award | Country / Institution |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award | United States of America |
| Liberty Medal | Philadelphia, United States of America |
| Jackson H. Ralston Award | United States of America |
| Prince of Asturias Award (Cooperation) | Spain |
| Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award | United States / International |
| Americas Award | International |
He served as a trustee for Economists for Peace and Security, and in 2003 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court.
Arias studied Law and Economics at the University of Costa Rica, and Political Science at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. He was first married to Margarita Penón Góngora, who served as First Lady of Costa Rica during his first presidential term. They had two children: Silvya Eugenia and Óscar Felipe Arias Penón. He later married attorney Suzanne Fischel Kopper.
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Early life
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Óscar Arias Sánchez was born in San José on September 13, 1940. He was raised in a coffee-growing family from Heredia. His parents were Juan Rafael Arias Trejos, a lawyer, and Lylliam Sánchez Cortés. His father was a running mate of Luis Alberto Monge for the 1978 elections under the National Liberation Party (PLN). His paternal grandfather, Juan Rafael Arias Bonilla, a multiple-term congressman for Heredia, served as President of Congress (1936–1938), held various government posts, including Minister of the Interior (1914–1917) under President Alfredo González Flores and Minister of Finance during the second administration of Cleto González Víquez, and was also a member of the 1949 Constituent Assembly, which drafted Costa Rica’s current Constitution.
Arias studied at Saint Francis School in San José. Initially drawn to medicine, he ultimately chose to study Law and Economics at the University of Costa Rica. His undergraduate thesis, “Pressure Groups in Costa Rica,” won the National Literature Award for Essay in 1971.
He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Essex with the dissertation “A Study on Formal Leadership in Costa Rica,” his first essay on politics. While pursuing graduate studies, he joined the National Liberation Party, a social democratic political party.
In 1971, President José Figueres Ferrer appointed him as Director of the National Planning Office, responsible for the national budget and public investment planning. While in this office, Arias promoted institutional reforms and laid the foundation for a National Development Plan. He remained in this role under President Daniel Oduber Quirós (1974–1978), after which he resigned to run for Congress. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1978 as representative for his native province.
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Presidencies
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First Term (1986–1990)
In 1986, Arias ran for President as the candidate of the National Liberation Party (PLN), the country’s leading social democratic party. Upon taking office, he inherited a country suffering from high inflation (over 20%), a large fiscal deficit, and dependency on foreign loans. Meanwhile, the neighboring Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua were embroiled in armed conflicts, posing a threat to Costa Rica’s stability.
Facing this regional and national crisis, his administration pursued policies to strengthen the Costa Rican economy and promote peace throughout Central America. Key accomplishments include:
- Economic stabilization through trade liberalization;
- Implementation of a structural adjustment program with the IMF and the World Bank;
- Reduction of inflation from over 22% to 9%;
- Diversification of exports (beyond the traditional coffee and bananas) into pineapples, flowers, textiles, and technology; and
- Promotion of eco-tourism as a new economic engine.
These efforts contributed to Costa Rica’s sustained growth throughout the 1990s.
Arias also modernized state institutions such as the Comptroller General’s Office and the Office of Public Ethics, and invested heavily in public education, which he saw as a fundamental pillar of development. His administration distributed free textbooks, opened school libraries, and expanded coverage to 95% in primary and 60% in secondary education by the end of his term.
Internationally, Arias’s government clashed with Cold War superpowers the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics over their overt interference in the regional conflicts threatening Central American peace. His major achievement was the Peace Plan that led to the demilitarization of the region. The plan included:
- Multilateral ceasefires
- Democratization
- Free and fair elections
- Human rights protections
- Cessation of foreign support to armed groups
This plan earned Arias the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987, making him the first Costa Rican and Central American to receive the honor. He used the award to bolster Costa Rica’s standing as a global advocate for nuclear disarmament and investment in education, social welfare, and environmental protection instead of military spending.
Second Term (2006–2010)
Due to a 1969 constitutional amendment, former presidents were initially barred from seeking office again, even non-consecutively. After an earlier attempt to annul this provision was rejected by the Constitutional Chamber (Sala IV) in September 2000, the prohibition was eventually overturned in April 2003, allowing non-consecutive re-election.
Arias returned to power amid aging infrastructure, rising demands for competitiveness, and an increasingly disgruntled and polarized citizenry. Highlights of his second term include:
- Ratification of CAFTA-DR: In 2007, 51.6% of voters approved the Free Trade Agreement with the United States via referendum, marking a turning point for the national economy. The treaty granted preferential access to major global markets, strengthened legal protections for investors, and spurred reforms in telecommunications, insurance, and intellectual property law.
- Infrastructure development:
After decades of backlog in infrastructure, progress was made on key projects such as construction of Route 27 connecting San José to Caldera, expansion of the Juan Santamaría and Daniel Oduber international airports, and modernization of ports and roads through public-private partnerships.
- Poverty reduction and social programs: A conditional cash transfer program, Avancemos, was launched to reduce high school dropout rates, and IMAS, FODESAF, and Ministry of Housing programs were expanded.
Arias’s diplomacy earned Costa Rica global recognition during his second term. In 2007, he was named a UN Messenger of Peace and frequently participated in global forums, including the World Economic Forum, European Parliament, and the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit.
Costa Rica also gained international praise for leading the world in sustainability, expanding protected areas, achieving 95% renewable energy, and advancing toward carbon neutrality.
In June 2007, Costa Rica severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China, becoming the 167th country to do so—a pivotal move in foreign policy.
2009 Honduras Crisis
Following the coup against President Manuel Zelaya, Arias was appointed mediator by the Organization of American States. Although his reconciliation proposal was not fully accepted, his intervention was key in de-escalating the crisis.
5th Summit of the Americas
On April 18, 2009, during the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Arias delivered a notable speech titled “We Must Have Done Something Wrong,[4]” where he decried the region’s economic and social lag and called on Latin American leaders to adopt a more pragmatic approach and refocus efforts on education, environmental protection, and healthcare, rather than disproportionate spending on arms and military buildup.
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Arias Foundation for Peace
Arias used the monetary award from his 1987 Nobel Peace Prize to create the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, which hosts three core programs:
- Center for Human Progress promoting women’s equality in Central America
- Center for Organized Participation encouraging philanthropic change in Latin America
- Center for Peace and Reconciliation advancing demilitarization and conflict resolution in developing countries
Arms Trade Treaty
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On May 29, 1997, at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York, Arias and fellow Nobel laureates presented an International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers with the aim of establishing ethical standards for the global arms trade to defuse its impact on human rights and armed conflicts. The idea behind this initiative, which was led by the Arias Foundation in collaboration with international non-governmental organizations such as BASIC, Saferworld, Demilitarization for Democracy, Amnesty International, American Friends Service Committee, and Project Ploughshares, was to take the code beyond a simple statement of principles and turn it into a binding legal instrument.
In 2005, the Central American Integration System (SICA) adopted this initiative as a model for the development of a subregional political instrument entitled the Code of Conduct of Central American States on the Transfer of Arms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.
In 2006, Arias formally presented the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) proposal to the UN General Assembly, backed by Costa Rica, Argentina, Australia, Finland, Japan, Kenya, and the UK. The proposal was taken up by the General Assembly, and on October 26, 2006, it adopted Resolution A/C.1/61/L.55, titled Towards an Arms Trade Treaty: Establishing Common International Standards for the Import, Export and Transfer of Conventional Arms, which marked the beginning of a process of consultations and multilateral negotiations, culminating in a resolution to submit the treaty for signing by the Member States. After years of diplomatic efforts, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was adopted on April 2, 2013, and officially took force on December 24, 2014, upon reaching the required 50 ratifications. Today, 116 countries are parties to this landmark agreement, a major step forward in the global regulation of conventional arms and a testament to Costa Rica’s enduring legacy of peace and diplomacy.
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Post-presidency
In 2025, Arias's US visa was revoked by the US State Department, which Arias blamed for his seeking better relations with China when he was president.[5] In a Facebook post published in February, he remarked that Donald Trump acted like "a Roman emperor, dictating to the rest of the world what to do".
At a news conference in San José, Arias stated that he had received a brief email from the U.S. government. The message referenced Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which grants the secretary of state and consular officers the authority to revoke visas at their discretion.[6]
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Judicial accusations
Alleged Misconduct in the Crucitas Mining Case
In 2008, Arias was accused by Costa Rica’s Public Prosecutor’s Office of unlawfully supporting a Canadian mining project known as “Crucitas.”[7] In October 2019, the case was dismissed on grounds of statute of limitations.[8]
Alleged Sexual Harassment
On February 5, 2019, the Costa Rican newspaper Semanario Universidad[9] reported that anti-nuclear arms activist Alexandra Arce von Herold had filed a sexual harassment complaint against Arias, alleging the incident occurred in December 2014 at his home in Rohrmoser.
Arias denied the allegations in a press release and vowed to defend himself legally. The Public Prosecutor’s Office later dismissed the case at the request of the complainant,[10] and Judge Natalia Rodríguez Solís of the Pavas Criminal Court officially closed the case.
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Publications
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Books by Óscar Arias
- 1970 Grupos de presión en Costa Rica
- 1978 Los caminos para el desarrollo de Costa Rica
- 1979 Nuevos rumbos para el desarrollo costarricense
- 1984 ¿Quién gobierna en Costa Rica?
- 1984 Nuevos rumbos para el desarrollo costarricense
- 1985 Democracia, independencia y sociedad latinoamericana
- 1989 El camino de la paz
- 1990 Horizons of Peace
- 1990 La semilla de la paz
- 1994 Nuevas dimensiones de la educación
- 2005 Hagamos juntos el camino (Discursos, artículos y ensayos)
- 2007 Sigamos Avanzando
- 2012 Con velas, timón y brújula
- 2023 The Power of Ideas
- 2024 Páginas de mi memoria
Articles
Former President Arias has written several opinion articles during his career, which have been published in different journalistic media:
- Por amor a la política
- Carta de Oscar Arias sobre flujo de armas a Nicaragua
- A 30 años de la firma del Plan de Paz
- To stem the child migrant crisis, first stop poverty and violence
- Lo humanamente correcto
- Consejo a los jóvenes de mi país
- Mi opinión sobre el proceso de negociación de la paz en Colombia
- «The memory of a rare success»
- Y ladrillo a ladrillo, fuimos construyendo la paz
- Es vital para el país aprobar la reforma fiscal
Speeches
Former President Arias has made a series of speeches, which can be found at Viaf.org:
| Características del desarrollo pasado en Costa Rica y perspectivas para el futuro |
| Con velas, timón y brújula |
| Demobilization, demilitarization, and democratization in Central America |
| Democracia, independencia y sociedad Latinoamericana |
| El camino de la paz |
| El Estado y la enseñanza de los derechos humanos: expositores, lección inaugural, 12 de junio 1991, Universidad de San Carlos Guatemala |
| El Nobel: historia, análisis, galardonados. |
| Entrevista con Oscar Arias Sánchez |
| Esquipulas, diez años después: hacia donde va Centroamérica? |
| Estrategia y plan global: Versión preliminar |
| Friede für Zentralamerika, 1987: |
| Green markets: the economics of economics of sustainable development |
| Hagamos juntos el camino: discursos, artículos y ensayos |
| Horizons of peace: the Costa Rican contribution to the peace process in Central America |
| La Nación y la peligrosa concentración de poder en el gobierno de Carazo Odio |
| La paz: una causa ganadora |
| La Paz no tiene fronteras; [Sólo la Paz puede escribir la Nueva Historia]: Discursos pronunciados en Oslo, Noruega, el 10 y el 11 de diciembre de 1987, con ocasión de recibir el Premio Nobel de la Paz de 1987 |
| La semilla de la paz: selección de discursos |
| Le traité sur le commerce des armes: genèse, analyse, enjeux, perspectives du premier instrument juridique consacré à la réglementation des transferts internationaux d'armes conventionnelles |
| Leadership and global governance |
| Los desafíos del siglo XXI desde América Latina |
| Nuevas dimensiones de la educación, 1994: |
| Prospectiva del siglo XXI: Entender las mega-tendencias y la nueva globalización, para construir futuros desde la Prospectiva Estratégica |
| Regionalización de Costa Rica para la planificación del desarrollo y la administración |
| Ten years after Esquipulas: looking toward the future: delivered at the ACUNS Tenth Annual Meeting = Diez años después de Esquipulas: mirando hacia el futuro: presentado en la Décima asamblea anual de ACUNS |
| The arms bazaar: 1995 Paul G. Hoffman Lecture |
| The struggle for peace |
| Veus de pau a la Pedrera: per la Cultura de Pau, fem possible el desarmament: Barcelona, 15 de desembre de 2000 |
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References
Further reading
External links
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