Costa Rica Among the Five Best Tourist Destinations of 2021. Photo: Lauren Harrigan/UNSPALSH

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) launched the ‘Raíces’ program on Tuesday, an initiative focused on the generation and consolidation of indigenous tourism ventures.

It is a financial mechanism developed from the UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), which seeks to address the priorities defined by indigenous peoples within the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy (2016-2025), based on a broad participatory process from the indigenous peoples that began in 2019.

“Indigenous peoples, in their ancient role as guardians of nature, have much to contribute to a common vision of sustainable development where no one is really left behind. Thus, this program and its focus on sustainable tourism, with cultural identity from the perspective of indigenous peoples, offers us an opportunity to generate green jobs, promoting cultural rescue and learning of a harmonious relationship with nature,” said the UNDP resident representative in Costa Rica, José Vicente Troya.

QCOSTARICA