By Wendy Anders

From March 13 to 17, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís, as announced on his Facebook page,  will make a “working tour” to the United States.

“In New York, I will be presenting, together with the High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, the final report containing actions and good practices for the effective inclusion of women in the workplace,” said Solís.

“In Washington we will also hold meetings with Vice President Michael Pence, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, with members of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the House of Representatives, and several U.S. Senators,” continued his statement.

“Our main objective is to follow up and strengthen the historical cooperation that was granted to Costa Rica last year in security matters, to further improve the direct fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. This cooperation includes boats, airplanes, helicopters, specialized equipment and programs for citizen security,” concluded Solís.

Also as part of his stateside tour in the DC area, Solís, will give a talk on the current challenges facing the Central America region at the Inter-American Dialogue on Thursday, March 16, 2017, from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Costa Rica currently holds the role as presidency pro tempore of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

His discussion will touch on topics that include crime and violence, ongoing migration challenges, lackluster regional economic growth, continuing concerns about corruption in many countries, and uncertainties about the new U.S. administration’s policies.

This event can be followed on Twitter at #DiálogoSolís and @The_Dialogue.

And Solis’ week in the U.S. at this and other high-level discussions can be followed at #GiraTrabajoEstadosUnidos.