BRIDGEWATER, Va. — Former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize, will speak on “Peace and Justice in the 21st Century” at Bridgewater College on March 15.
Arias served as president of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and 2006 to 2010.
When he took office, civil wars were raging in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Working with other presidents of the region, Arias drafted a peace plan that sought to end the regional crisis by linking democracy to peace.
His initiative culminated in the signing of the “Procedure to Establish a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central America,” by the five Central American presidents on Aug. 7, 1987. In that same year, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
His lecture at Bridgewater is free and open to the public.