Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Gives Themed Lecture on Social Impact of Coffee Fair Trade Certification

Yangcheon-gu to Host Lecture by Costa Rican Ambassador at Yangcheon Digital Media Center on the 9th Morning... Ambassador Rodriguez to Speak on "The Social Impact of Coffee Fair Trade Certification: The 200-Year National Case of Costa Rica"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) held a lecture by Alejandro Rodriguez Zamora, Ambassador of Costa Rica to Korea (hereinafter Ambassador Rodriguez), on the morning of the 9th at the Yangcheon Digital Media Center on the 3rd floor of the district office.

Ambassador Rodriguez gave a lecture titled "The Social Impact of Fair Trade Coffee Certification: The 200-Year National Case of Costa Rica."

Yangcheon-gu was certified as a Fair Trade City in April this year, the first among Seoul's autonomous districts. This lecture was part of a campaign to nurture local fair trade activists, inviting about 30 related personnel including the local Fair Trade Committee and fair trade activists to participate together.

Known as the "Switzerland of Latin America," Costa Rica is a leading country in climate change response and social economy, and as the world's first carbon-neutral coffee exporter, it actively promotes fair trade through vibrant local cooperatives and solidarity cooperatives that produce coffee.

Ambassador Rodriguez began the lecture by sharing the historical values and principles that have defined Costa Rica's national identity. He then mentioned ▲quality jobs ▲regional development ▲gender equality ▲youth participation in social and labor activities ▲environmental protection, presenting public principles in the social economy sector.

Ambassador Rodriguez explained, "The purpose and principles of fair trade are closely related to the fundamental principles of the social economy," adding, "Public policies for fair trade in social economy and solidarity lead to the growth of small-scale coffee-producing communities and cooperative systems, and furthermore, based on respect for the environment, create exemplary business models of wealth and prosperity that encourage democratic citizen participation and social justice standards."

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, "We deeply thank Ambassador Rodriguez for sharing Costa Rica's exemplary case, which is leading innovation in the social economy sector through fair trade," and added, "We will strive to create a fair trade city Yangcheon-gu where coexistence and inclusive growth are achieved by overcoming unfairness, and also seek ways to establish a cooperative development model with our sister city, Grecia City in Costa Rica."

Yangcheon-gu has been exchanging broad opinions for sustainable development and cooperation through the sister city agreement signed with Grecia City, Costa Rica, in June this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.