Arias to Speak on Climate Change at U.N. Summit

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias will join 25 other heads of state, including U.S. President Barack Obama, next week for a climate change summit at the United Nations in New York City, the Costa Rican UN representative confirmed Thursday.

In addition to participating in round table discussions about each country’s role in climate change negotiations, the UN Secretariat selected Arias as one of seven heads of state to address the summit with a short speech.

Jairo Hernández, deputy permanent representative for Costa Rica to the UN, said Arias will speak as the global leader of developing countries.

Hernández noted that Latin America represents a large portion of the world’s developing nations, and he said Arias will fight for a global approach to solving the problem.

On his speech agenda are points such as reducing gases, reforestation, increasing energy efficiency and better agricultural practices.

Hernández said the meeting is an important step toward the negotiations to take place in the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

Arias will join Obama and President Hu Jintao of China in a nuclear arms debate Thursday, after the summit concludes.

–Mike McDonald