International prizes awarded to Costa Rica
October 2021: The Earthshot Award
Costa Rica was honored with the prestigious Earthshot Award in the Protect and Restore Nature category for its successful conservation model and policy of paying citizens to protect forests and restore ecosystems. Designed to protect the planet and encourage change over the next 10 years, the award is given by the UK's Royal Foundation to winners whose solutions substantially help the environment.
Costa Rica will use the prize of more than US$1 million to develop marine conservation and counteract the impacts of climate change.
"This award is an opportunity to strengthen conservation in our national treasure, Cocos Island, and the waters of the Pacific and Caribbean," said Minister of Environment and Energy Andrea Meza. "The time has come to replicate in the sea what has been done on land."
December 2020: UN Global Climate Action Award
Costa Rica was one of the winning countries in the UN Global Climate Action Awards in the category of Financing for Climate Friendly Investment for the Payments for Environmental Services (PES) Program. This is a financial mechanism that promotes forest ecosystem conservation.
December 2020: World Bank project
In 2020, Costa Rica signed an agreement that will allow it to receive $60 million over five years in recognition of the forest protection and emissions reductions made by thousands of families, communities and public entities. The agreement will particularly benefit women's and youth groups engaged in conservation actions and key populations such as indigenous groups.
November 2020: Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) finances climate change mitigation and adaptation projects and, in 2020, they agreed to grant Costa Rica a total of $54 million in recognition of 14.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide captured in 2014 and 2015 by the country's forests.
October 2019: The Global Ocean Refuge Award
Cocos Island National Park was awarded the distinguished international Blue Park Award by the U.S. Marine Conservation Institute. This recognition is due to Costa Rica´s management of the marine protected area, as well as the Cocos Island National Park´s environmental protection efforts and its commitment to biodiversity conservation.
September 2019: Champions of the Earth Award
The United Nations' highest environmental honor was given to Costa Rica in the category of Political Leadership. This was in recognition of its role in the protection of nature and its commitment to ambitious policies to combat climate change. The country has been particularly lauded for its National Decarbonization Plan to achieve a zero emissions economy by 2050.
September 2019: Montreal Protocol International Award
This distinction rewards the country's work in the prevention of illicit trafficking of substances that deplete the ozone layer, specifically for the actions carried out in 2014 with the seizure of 400 cylinders containing the refrigerant R-22 of the HCFC family (an ozone-depleting substance).
May 2019: Global Sustainability Forum (GSF) Award.
This is an initiative of the United Nations and companies of the Business Council for Sustainable Development. The honor is traditionally bestowed upon private companies in recognition of their efforts in sustainable practice, but in 2019 it was awarded to a country for the first time.
