The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution calling for establishing a moratorium on the application of the death penalty. It was approved with a historical majority of 126 votes in favor.
“Costa Rica is proud to have led, together with Australia and on behalf of 44 countries from all regions of the world, the process of negotiating this resolution. It led to a resounding result of support for the global campaign for a moratorium towards the definitive abolition of the death penalty,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The resolution was first adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 and has been subsequently approved every two years since 2008, with an increasing number of countries supporting the call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
Also, the General Assembly is expected to rule on its majority support by mid-December 2022.
Arnoldo André, Minister of Foreign Affairs, celebrated a new Costa Rican foreign policy achievement.
“This is a historic result for human rights in a context of complex and global challenges. It signifies Costa Rica’s commitment to contribute concretely and effectively at the multilateral level to the search for common solutions. Through this contribution, Costa Rica renews its humanist convictions and the centrality of Human Rights in the face of the problems of our time,” André pointed out.
The Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, Ambassador Maritza Chan, led the work in New York and emphasized that the central issue of the text is “the progressive and unequivocal march of humanity towards the abolition of the death penalty.”
“The death penalty in any form is indisputably the most brutal and extreme expression of violence, and therefore violates the supreme right to life,” Ambassador Chan said.
The Costa Rican government thanked the work of its career diplomats for this magnificent achievement, which reaffirms its commitment to the full realization of human rights, to the inherent value of each person, and multilateralism.
The current administration also mentioned that Costa Rica is proud to pioneer the campaign to abolish capital punishment. Its abolition in 1882, promoted by a career General, laid the foundation for a political and legal system and foreign policy based on a culture of peace and respect for human dignity.
“Costa Rica will continue to support all efforts by States to limit the application of the death penalty with a view to its abolition,” concluded the Costa Rican government. “Costa Rica will continue to support all efforts by States to limit the application of the death penalty with a view to its abolition,” concluded the Costa Rican government.
