Costa Rica was the first Central American country to establish diplomatic relations with China in the new century and has signed free trade agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative with China in 2010 and 2018, respectively. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, the China-Costa Rica relationship could serve as a model for friendly cooperation between countries with different scales and national conditions. To implement the important speeches by General Secretary Xi, create a new frontier for Liaoning’s opening-up, deeply integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative, and fulfill the relevant plans of the provincial CPC committee and government, Liaoning University is actively expanding cooperation and exchange channels with Costa Rican embassies and consulates, as well as Costa Rican universities, research institutes, and international organizations.
On July 31, 2024, a delegation led by Yu Miaojie, a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, Fellow of the International Economic Association, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University, led a visit to Earth Charter International and the UN-mandated University for Peace. Accompanied by Chen Fu, Deputy Director of the Institute of Environment and Economics, Yin Ruyu, Deputy Director of the Office of International Affairs, and Liu Renliang, a faculty member from Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research, the delegation engaged in discussions on sustainable development with experts and scholars from Earth Charter International and the University for Peace.
The Earth Charter is a United Nations initiative aimed at promoting global sustainable development and is recognized by UNESCO as an important ethical framework for sustainable development. The work of Earth Charter International is implemented based on the Earth Charter by the UNESCO Chair in Education for Sustainable Development and operates within the campus of the University for Peace. As an international advocacy organization, Earth Charter International aims to promote global sustainable development, ethical values, and environmental ethics. The University for Peace was established by Resolution 35/55 of the 1980 General Assembly of the United Nations and is headquartered in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. The university offers programs in Peace and Conflict Studies, International Law, Environment and Development, and Regional Studies, and provides master’s and doctoral degree programs, with degrees conferred under the authority of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Michael Bracken, Chair of the Earth Charter International, Mirian Vilela, Executive Director, Mihir Kanade, Academic Director and Head of the International Law Department at the University for Peace, and Adriana Salcedo, Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department, warmly welcomed Yu Miaojie and his delegation. Yu Miaojie introduced Liaoning University’s achievements in the construction of ‘Double First-Class’ disciplines, international cooperation, think tank development, and social services, with a focus on the university’s latest progress in sustainable development education. He emphasized that deepening cooperation between Liaoning University, Earth Charter International in Costa Rica, and the University for Peace in the field of sustainable development education is based on the shared green development concept of both countries. This cooperation is an important component of the Belt and Road Initiative and will contribute to the realization of sustainable development concepts in higher education. The Costa Rican side introduced the history, development, faculty, and research achievements of Earth Charter International and the University for Peace, highlighting their characteristics and advantages in sustainable development education. They expressed their willingness to further deepen the cooperation with Liaoning University on the basis of the jointly established Earth Charter Education Center, and work together to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
