Óscar Arias

Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias in April 2018
40th & 45th President of Costa Rica
In office
8 May 2006  8 May 2010
Vice President
  1. Laura Chinchilla
  2. Kevin Casas
Preceded byAbel Pacheco
Succeeded byLaura Chinchilla
In office
8 May 1986  8 May 1990
Vice President
  1. Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón
  2. Victoria Garrón de Doryan
Preceded byLuis Alberto Monge
Succeeded byRafael Ángel Calderón
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
In office
1 May 1978  2 May 1981
Preceded byJorge Luis Arce
Succeeded byGerardo Vega
ConstituencyHeredia (2nd Office)
Minister of National Planning
In office
May 1974  July 1977
PresidentDaniel Oduber
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byFernando Zumbado
Director of the Office of National Planning
In office
1971–1974
PresidentJosé Figueres
Preceded byMarco López
Succeeded byHimself
Personal details
Born
Óscar Arias Sánchez

(1940-09-13) 13 September 1940
Heredia, Costa Rica
Political partyNational Liberation Party
Alma materBoston University
University of Costa Rica
London School of Economics
University of Essex
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Óscar Arias Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈoskaɾ ˈaɾjas]; born 13 September 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010.

Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his proposal of a negotiated solution to the Central American crisis. He sought the support of the Contadora group for his plan, which involved the removal of all foreign powers from the region, an end to aid for antigovernment guerrillas in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and the implementation of democratic principles and a compromise peace for social reconstruction. Although his plan was not officially adopted, its key concepts were later reflected in the settlements in El Salvador (1990-1993) and Nicaragua (1989-1990).

He was also a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and a trustee of Economists for Peace and Security. In 2003, he was elected to the board of directors of the International Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims.