The Arias Foundation for peace and human progress

The Arias Foundation is a Costa Rican non-governmental and non-profit organization. It was created in 1988 with the monetary support of the Nobel Peace Prize, granted to the founder and then-President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez, in recognition of his efforts to secure a "...firm and lasting peace..." in Central America.

Established to help further a culture of peace in the region, the Arias Foundation is devoted to the promotion of democracy, gender equity, and to disarmament and demilitarization. Its staff has developed more than 200 programs and projects, organized a countless number of national and regional fora, and published over 300 documents. The work of the Arias Foundation is divided among three active and expanding areas: the Area for Good Governance and Human Progress, the Area for Peace and Human Security, and the Area for Higher Education and Research.

The Area for Good Governance and Human Progress seeks to strengthen the participation and action of civil society in Latin America in order to contribute to public policies in a practical, tangible and effective way and to promote gender equity and equality of opportunities. To accomplish these goals, the Area is organized into three key programs: Decentralization, Citizen Participation and Local Development, Gender and Human Progress, and Institutionalizing Democratic.

The Area for Peace and Human Security objective is to promote the consolidation of peace and human security through the decrease of conflicts, prevention of violence, promotion of demilitarization and disarmament, and education for peace. This Area meets these goals through its four Programs: Central American Dialogue and Disarmament, Demilitarization and Security Forces, Esquipulas and Beyond, and Education for Peace.

The Area for Higher Education and Research emphasizes the consolidation of a space of reflection, formation, and research of the highest level, and through the continuation of training and formation in the social sciences, with particular focus on institutional themes that have generated knowledge and development processes in Central America. The two Area Programs are: the Institute of Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez for Higher Education in the Social Sciences and the Museum for Peace.

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