Costa Rica signs letter supporting ban on nuclear weapons

President Laura Chinchilla on Monday signed a letter of support for the global call to ban nuclear weapons.

During a ceremony held at Casa Presidencial, Chinchilla received 1,000 paper cranes made by the students of the University for Peace (UPEACE) and representatives of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), as a symbol of support of a world free from nuclear weapons.

“Peace cannot be only the subject of prayers for some people, it is the most natural human asset we have,” the president said.

“These beautiful cranes made by hands full of the hope of many young people will be able to spread their wings to more countries every day,” she added.

UPEACE Rector Victor Valle said the initiative aims to deliver 1,000 paper cranes to every political leader in the world to support the ban on the use and storage of nuclear weapons.

In addition to Chinchilla, other top politicians also have signed ICAN’s letter, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of state of Afghanistan, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Kazakhstan, Marshall Islands, Luxembourg, Mozambique, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia and Vanuatu.