At the 2015 Summit of the Americas in Panama, President Barack Obama of the United States called a special Civil Society Forum, to which only President Luis Guillermo Solís of Costa Rica and Tabaré Vásquez were invited. The topics discussed included: Education, support for the development of small businesses, technical support for the production of clean energy, and overall infrastructure improvement.

During his meeting with President Solís, President Obama explained that the Central American regional agenda is similar to that of the United States insofar as improving quality of life that foster well-being and development solutions while producing tangible results.

President Solís emphasized the importance of technical and vocational education:

“It is imperative that we support vocational learning among women, indigenous communities and Afro Costa Ricans; this should be like a mechanism to produce structural results in a sustainable manner that promotes social mobility of vulnerable populations.”

President Solís also proposed to his North American counterpart that a strategy for improving the conditions of small businesses in the region should be formulated for the purpose of strengthening the overall business climate in Central America.

On the topic of renewable energy, President Obama stated that Costa Rica is a leading nation when it comes to the efficient use of clean energy production. To this effect, it was proposed during this special forum that the United States and Costa Rica work together to elaborate a common agenda along with Central America at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21), which will be conducted in December 2015.

President Obama explained that discussing the impact of climate change is crucial to his administration, and he thinks that the United States, Costa Rica, and the rest of the Americas should be at the forefront of sustainable innovation in this regard.

Source: Presidencia de Costa Rica