UN General Assembly
1991

Nor should the progress achieved in human rights halt further efforts from being made. For example, although the measures taken to eradicate apartheid in the Republic of South Africa have raised our hopes, Costa Rica believes that it is urgent to achieve the total integration of all the population of that country into a true democracy based on the fundamental principle of absolute equality for all men. Respect for human rights and for international law as a whole is a decisive factor for the attainment of a lasting peace in every country of the world. We Costa Ricans, who for generations have enjoyed the benefits of living in peace, view with dismay the violence that continues to prevail in today's world.