Bill Clinton to give keynote address in Costa Rica sustainability forum May 9

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will speak at an environmental forum on May 9 in Escazú, filling the role performed by Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, last year.

Javier del Campo, director of forum organizer Terra Partners, announced the ex-president as the keynote speaker of the second annual Sustainability and Environment Business Forum during a press conference Tuesday morning at Hotel InterContinental in Escazú, in west San José.

Clinton, who was the U.S. president from 1993 to 2001, highlights a forum that takes place May 8 and 9. Brazil’s ex-Environment Minister and former presidential candidate Marina Silva will speak at the end of the first night. Bhutan’s Director of the Center for Bhutanese Studies Dasho Karma Ura will speak the morning of May 9, and several other speakers will talk throughout the day before Clinton’s speech at 7 p.m.

The presentation called “Embracing our Common Humanity” will go for an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.

Del Campo said the goal for the forum was to bring in “high level” speakers “to represent different zones, cultures, and ideas of the world.”

“I think we succeeded,” he said.

Registration for the two-day summit costs $750 (discounts for groups), which takes place at the Hotel InterContinental. Capacity for Clinton’s forum is 650 guests. For more information go to www.forosostenibilidadcostarica.com.