Costa Rica has a dual role in development co-operation, as both a provider and a beneficiary. Costa Rica provides development co-operation as technical co-operation through bilateral and regional initiatives considered triangular and South-South co-operation. In 2022, Costa Rica provided technical co-operation notably to the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Uruguay.
Development Co-operation Profiles
Report
Table of contents
Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Costa Rica
Introduction
Policy
Costa Rica’s development co-operation focuses on providing technical assistance through South-South and triangular co-operation. The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplan) is the institution in charge of implementing Costa Rica’s international co-operation based on the objectives noted in the 2023-2026 National Plan for Development (PNDIP), which focuses on poverty, inequality and the environment. Article 10 of Decree No. 37735 establishes the PNDIP as the framework to define the objectives, policies, goals, programmes and strategies that Mideplan co-ordinates in collaboration with other institutions in the National Planning System. The 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also provide a framework for implementing the PNDIP.
Costa Rica’s international co-operation policy
Costa Rica’s new international development co-operation policy 2024-2035 is planned to be released in September 2024 representing its second policy on development co-operation. The policy is unique, spanning an 11-year period. The longer timeframe allows it to be more predictable and to efficiently address and articulate the various dimensions of its international co-operation in a way that transcends electoral cycles. This approach helps provide greater consistency and sustainability in the implementation of development activities and, to the extent possible, generate more and better impact for recipient institutions and populations in general.
The purpose of the policy is also to ensure that Costa Rica’s technical and non-reimbursable resources are gradually redirected towards countries and regions that are most in need and vulnerable (such as coastal and border areas), but also towards those territories with a low human development index. The policy also seeks to ensure that resources reach populations at social risk and most in need of state intervention, such as groups living in poverty or extreme poverty, women heads of household, children and adolescents, the elderly, the disabled, the indigenous population, Afro-descendants, LGTBIQ+ groups, as well as migrants at the national, regional or local level. This new policy will be implemented in six strategic areas: 1) environment and climate action; 2) sustainable and renewable energies; 3) social inclusion; 4) sustainable economic development; 5) digital infrastructure and innovation; and 6) justice and security.
The policy represents the official framework for Costa Rica’s development co-operation priorities and takes as a reference at the national level:
the National Strategic Plan 2050 (PEN 2050).
the National Plan for Development and Public Investment “Rogelio Fernández Güell” 2023-2026.
the Social Development Index, 2023.
the Decarbonization Plan 2018-2050.
At the international level, the following were taken as a reference:
The 2030 Agenda and in particular SDG 17 “Partnerships to achieve the goals”.
Costa Rica’s international commitments for financing for development: the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda for Action and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation.
The III Montevideo Consensus Report on Population and Development 2023.
The OECD Development Co-operation Report 2023: Debating the Aid System.
The cross-cutting approaches and principles on which the policy is based are: the Management for Development Results Approach; the Population-differential Approach; the Territorial Approach; Spatial Coverage; the Multi-Stakeholder Approach; and the premise of promoting a modern, green, emission-free economy with social inclusion.
Source: Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy.
Costa Rica’s support to sustainable development
Costa Rica is a member of the International Forum on TOSSD. As a provider of South-South co-operation, Costa Rica has been reporting on Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) since its inception in 2020 on 2019 activities.
Costa Rica reported USD 643 000 in support of sustainable development in the form of cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients.
Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
In 2022, Costa Rica’s support to sustainable development mainly contributed to advancing SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 15 (life on land).
Cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients (Pillar 1)
Geographic allocation
In 2022, all cross-border resources provided by Costa Rica were allocated by country or region. In total, Costa Rica’s cross-border flows benefited eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, most notably Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
Sectoral distribution
In 2022, over a half (52%) of Costa Rica’s cross-border flows fostered general environmental protection in TOSSD recipients, amounting to USD 334 000. USD 241 000 (38%) targeted social infrastructure and services, most of which were allocated to supporting government and civil society (USD 168 000) and health (USD 67 000).
Triangular co-operation
With its dual role in development co-operation, Costa Rica engages in triangular co-operation. Its reporting to TOSSD shows its regional priority is Latin America. Its main beneficiaries are Ecuador and the American region. The main sector is general environmental protection. Costa Rica disbursed USD 3.5 million in 2022.
In addition, Costa Rica implements the European Union-Costa Rica-Latin America and the Caribbean Triangular Cooperation Fund, within the framework of ADELANTE 2. The fund distributes its resources in to:
1. ecological transition, green recovery and decarbonisation.
2. digitalisation and innovation.
3. other areas of co-operation consistent with the achievement of the SDGs (migration, gender, anti-trafficking, culture and development, health, and justice).
Learn more about triangular co-operation.
Institutional set-up
The Directorate General for International Co-operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Co-operation Area of Mideplan manage Costa Rica’s incoming and outgoing development co-operation. Mideplan is responsible for formulating, negotiating, co-ordinating, approving and evaluating technical assistance programmes in line with the National Development Plan. It forwards requests for technical assistance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which assesses whether such requests are consistent with Costa Rica’s foreign policy and presents them to the relevant governments and international bodies.1 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs represents Costa Rica in international co‑operation, having exclusive competence in diplomatic negotiations and formalising development co-operation agreements. Mideplan is responsible for internal leadership in matters of international co-operation, having exclusive competence for the management and technical negotiation of international co-operation with national entities, agencies and institutions, to ensure it is consistent with the National Development Plan. Ministries and public sector institutions use an international co-operation liaison system (the National Co-operation Subsystem) to contact Mideplan when implementing an international co-operation project.2
Additional resources
Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (2020), Costa Rican International Co-operation Policies 2020-2022, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy, San José, https://documentos.mideplan.go.cr/share/s/eAVw_dAZR32hT9pEmxtkfA.
Government of Costa Rica (2018), International Co-operation Projects Management System, Ministry of Planning and Economic Policy, San José.
Costa Rica has been a member of the OECD since 2021. Costa Rica participates regularly in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Senior-Level and High-Level Meetings and participated in the LAC-DAC Dialogue on Development Co-operation in 2021.
Costa Rica has been part of the TOSSD International Task Force since its inception in 2017 and is now a member of the International Forum on TOSSD. It conducted a TOSSD pilot study in 2018.3 It has been reporting to TOSSD since 2020, on 2019 data.