Costa Rica - Israel Development Cooperation

We were six Costa Ricans in that group. Abounding with youthful enthusiasm and tremendous expectations, we were preparing to undertake a real adventure of the spirit in a new country, a country which despite its own serious difficulties of all kinds, had generously decided to share its experiences and knowledge with other peoples, sharing the noble aspiration to build a future of freedom, justice and well-being.

The State of Israel, which was then only 16 years old, inspired us with intense curiosity and enormous admiration. We were coming to a completely unknown reality associated, in our apprehensive minds, with extraordinary historical deeds which lay at the origin of the religious beliefs of our elders, and with tremendous challenges of the present.

We were coming to meet a fighting people which, in an act of historic justice, after traversing innumerable sufferings during thousands of years, had succeeded in re-establishing its National Home in the Promised Land.

Israeli society at that time - composed principally of Jews* who had arrived scarcely 10 or 5 years previously, or even less, from all corners of the Diaspora - was characterized by its indomitable pioneering spirit.

This people, which was bravely building its own national reality, for which it had yearned during two thousand years, was capable of every effort, every sacrifice and every privation to reach its supreme objective. Thus austerity was one of its basic characteristics.

Inspired by a strong desire for knowledge and understanding, we rapidly established contact with a reality and a people which greatly intrigued us. With the assistance of our instructors, and thanks to the solidarity which quickly arose between us and our fellow students, we were able to overcome the barriers of language, culture and distance.

I have always been grateful for the opportunity which I was accorded in my youth, to become acquainted with that unique reality of construction of a national project, a reality which no longer exists. In this respect, my fellow students and I were privileged. We were able to

absorb, in the Israel of that period, the pioneering spirit characteristic of the great feats of humanity, the austere attitude which clearly distinguishes between the essential and the superfluous, and a clear sense of commitment to noble causes and higher objectives.

The course in which we participated, which lasted far longer than those of today, was characterized by a sense of pragmatism, which continues to be a distinctive sign of the training programs held under the patronage of the Israeli Government, as I discover each time I meet the Costa Rican scholarship holders who come to the country.

The actual course, and in a broader sense, our experiences of every kind in the heart of the Israeli people, planted in our young hearts and minds concerns, values and knowledge which will always be with us.

During the course, the Costa Rican representatives developed the preliminary plans for the creation of the National Youth Movement of our country. Immediately upon our return to Costa Rica, we submitted this to the principal national authorities and political leaders who immediately gave us extensive and sincere support.

It is with profound gratitude, that I cite here the principal national leaders of the period, who with their support made possible the birth of this movement: Francisco J. Orlich, President of the Republic; Daniel Oduber Quiros, Foreign Minister and Cuito, then also President of the Republic; Virgilio Calvo Sanchez, Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the Republican Party; Mario Quiros Sasso, Head of the President's Office, and Rodolfo Solano Orfila, President of the Legislative Assembly, all unfortunately deceased, the last a short time ago; and Alberto P. Canas Escalante, Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the National Liberation Party, later Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport and currently Deputy in the Legislative Assembly; Christian Tattembach Iglesias, Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the National Union Party; and Alfonso Carro Zuniga, Minister of Labour.

All these important national leaders very enthusiastically supported the work of the movement in its initial stage. We all agreed on one issue: The development of the youth organization had to be promoted urgently in Costa Rica, not only with the aim of offering youth opportunities of extracurricular training and appropriate use of free time, but also, and this was essential, of bringing them to participate in different ways in the life of their communities and the nation, as is fitting for any democratic society which wishes to remain democratic.

Inspired by our experiences in Israel, and by the political support afforded us, we rapidly finished refining the preliminary plans for the creation of the movement, and this was born shortly afterwards, in early 1965, as a body subordinate to the President's Office.

The first Board of Directors of the National Youth Movement consisted of a delegate from the Ministry of Public Education (Prof. Lia Gomez de Brenes), a delegate from the Ministry of Labour (Prof. Francisco Herrera Mora) and three outstanding youth leaders of the period who had participated in courses in Israel: Carlos B. Corrales Solano (1st Course, 1962), who after occupying various important public and diplomatic offices, now dedicates himself entirely to his professional activities as a lawyer; Gonzalo E. Fajardo Sales (2nd Course, 1964), later Economic Minister, and currently a Deputy in the Legislative Assembly; German J. Serrano Pinto (2nd Course, 1964), later Minister of Labour and, in the period 1990-1994, First Vice-President of the Republic.

I myself, who had participated, as already mentioned, in the 2nd Course on Youth Leadership, had the honour of being the Director General of the Movement in that initial stage, while Edgar Ugalde Alvarez (2nd Course, 1964), now Ambassador to Nicaragua, was the first Deputy Director.

Soon after the establishment of the movement, two advisers, assigned to this project by the Israeli Government, arrived in Costa Rica. I vividly remember the day on which Mordechai Hatzor (later to become the Director of the Centre for Cooperative and Labour Studies, 1969 until his retirement in 1992 with two interruptions) and Avraham Hatzamri (who filled in as Director of the Centre 1974-78) landed at our International Airport. They were joined some time later by Aharon Barnea.

For four years these good friends unreservedly placed their very valuable experience and the pioneering spirit which still inspired their people, at the service of Costa Rican youth. At the same time they taught about their country, and played a part, like few others, in strengthening the outstanding ties of friendship traditionally existing between Costa Rica and Israel.

The first group of Israeli advisers was replaced by Shmuel Aviram and Eitan Sela, and following conclusion of their mission this important technical aid program was suspended for many years. Today the National Youth Movement again enjoys the support of an Israeli specialist, Shmuel Bengal (see Shalom 1997-2), who like his distinguished predecessors dedicates himself with great zeal to the modernization and progress of the movement.

With natural ups and downs in the course of its development, the National Youth Movement continues to offer services to Costa Rican youth. The young people of the country, as everywhere else in the world, require the constant attention and support of society and its institutions, and of international cooperation, in order to confront the challenges of the age.

In 1970, I was appointed Director General of Youth in the new Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and President of the Board of Directors of the National Youth Movement. This, together with an extensive personal connection with areas involving youth and volunteering in the international field, allowed me to follow closely the evolution of the movement and, in general, the problems of youth. Hence, I can appreciate the value of the Israeli cooperation in this area.

Through my participation in the 2nd Course on Youth Leadership, I established and developed ties with citizens and institutions in Israel. These contacts, the various visits which I have paid to the country over the years, and in particular my involvement in organizations or initiatives connected with international cooperation and bilateral relations, have enabled me to keep my finger on the pulse of the changing reality of this unique country.

As an example, I was a member of the Boards of the Shalom Association in Costa Rica and of the Costa Rica-Israel Cultural Institute, which are in essence expressions of international cooperation. The former, like similar organizations in other countries, groups former participants in Israel programs, promotes friendship ties and exchanges of experiences among them (frequently deriving from concerns about the requirements of national development), and supports initiatives oriented to preserving and strengthening the bilateral relations. The latter organization is part of a Latin American network directed by the Israel-Ibero-American Institute of Cultural Relations from Jerusalem. It works with the official backing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, like its corresponding bodies in our countries, works to advance relations between Israel and Latin America. Its work goes beyond the cultural sphere, in that it recognizes and endeavours to underscore the decisive support that the Latin American region has offered to the Jewish people at crucial moments of its history.

These past experiences, together with those that I have now added as Ambassador of Costa Rica in Israel, are certainly extremely valuable and useful. They give me a broad and comprehensive vision of the laudable Israeli efforts in the field of international cooperation; they allow me to appreciate the benefits to my country of the training received here in different areas by many Costa Ricans; and they provide me with the ability to judge critically and respectfully evaluate the different programs, when asked to do so.

Israel's activities in this field certainly deserve recognition and gratitude. It is an impressive fact that this small country, in November 1995, had already provided training for 50,000 foreign scholarship holders in different fields. And the numbers continue to grow.

This most estimable effort is further extended and reinforced by numerous on-the-spot courses which Israeli experts direct in different countries, affording technical assistance in fields such as agriculture, cooperativism, youth leadership, education, etc. In this way, many thousands more citizens of developing countries benefit directly from the activity. Like the scholarship-holders coming to Israel, they acquire new knowledge and experiences which help them to carry out their functions, functions generally associated with the needs and aspirations of their peoples.

Much can be learned from a country which in less than 50 years of existence, with a territory covering only 23,000 sq.km. and a population of barely 5,863,000 inhabitants, has built a place for itself in the world and has attained great heights of progress and well-being. Indeed, with a per capita income of over $16,000 annually, an excellent infrastructure, notable advances in the fields of science and technology, a widely recognized military power and admirable indexes of education and health, Israel is a role model for development.

At the same time, and without detracting in any way from its merits, Israel also benefits to some extent, logically, from its cooperation programs. It is able to learn from foreign experiences, to cultivate bilateral relations and to project to the world a positive image of a nation firmly committed to the destiny of other countries.

I cannot conclude this brief article without expressing my deep personal gratitude to two people who taught me much about Israel and its people, and who have contributed decisively to forging sincere and solid ties of friendship and cooperation between Israel and my country: Engineer Abraham Meltzer, distinguished professional and Costa Rican entrepreneur who for years has served with dignity and ability as Honorary Consul in Costa Rica; and Elhanan Harlev, an Israeli of Latin American origin who discretely and with distinction has dedicated his life, both in public service and in private, to the construction of the Zionist dream.

In conclusion, I take the liberty of affirming, with full knowledge of the facts, that in the field of international cooperation, Israel is an original and inspiring example of solidarity and intelligence. If only the large developed nations would make such an effort in this field, this would certainly have very positive effects for the poor countries, and for the advancement of justice in the world.

* This same course was offered for many years at the Centre for Cooperative and Labour Studies for Latin America, Spain and Portugal (now the Division of Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Institute - Histadrut)
** Today Israeli society is made up of 81.2% Jews (over half native-born, the rest from some 70 countries around the world), 17.1% Arabs who are mostly Muslim and also Bedouin and Christian, and 1.7% Druze, Circassian and other communities