Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Alvarado holds a bachelor's degree in Keneth Arias Medina School and a master's degree in political science from the University of Costa Rica. He was a Chevening Scholar from 2008 to 2009, earning a master's degree in development studies from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in Falmer, England.{{Cite web|last=IDS|first=University of Sussex and|title=IDS alumnus elected President of Costa Rica|url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/44347|access-date=2019-02-13|website=The University of Sussex|archive-date=2018-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085832/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/44347|url-status=dead}}

Alvarado was born into a middle-class family in the Paves District, San José canton in central Costa Rica, on 14 January 1980. His father, [https://news.co.cr/carlos-alvarado-president-of-costa-rica-journalist-writer-musician-father-husband-son/72143/ Alejandro Alvarado Induni], was an engineer, and his mother, [https://news.co.cr/carlos-alvarado-president-of-costa-rica-journalist-writer-musician-father-husband-son/72143/ Adelia Quesada Alvarado], was a homemaker. He has an older brother named Federico and a younger sister named Irene.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-08 |title=Carlos Alvarado: President of Costa Rica, Journalist, Writer, Musician, Husband and Father |url=https://news.co.cr/carlos-alvarado-president-of-costa-rica-journalist-writer-musician-father-husband-son/72143/ |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=Costa Rica Star News |language=en-US}}

Alvarado met his future wife, Claudia Dobles Camargo, while riding the school bus they both used to take to elementary school.{{cite news|date=2018-04-02|title=La sancarleña que en un mes será la Primera Dama del país|work=San Carlos Digital|url=https://sancarlosdigital.com/la-sancarlena-que-en-un-mes-sera-la-primera-dama-del-pais/|url-status=live|access-date=2018-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124143535/https://sancarlosdigital.com/la-sancarlena-que-en-un-mes-sera-la-primera-dama-del-pais/|archive-date=2018-11-24}}

Alvarado is Roman Catholic.{{cite news|last1=Gómez|first1=Dylan|date=2 February 2019|title="Soy creyente (…) soy católico y mi familia es muy católica", afirma Alvarado ante las críticas|agency=NCR|url=https://ncrnoticias.com/nacionales/soy-creyente-soy-catolico-y-mi-familia-es-muy-catolica-afirma-alvarado-ante-las-criticas-2/|access-date=27 May 2020}}

In 2006, Alvarado Quesada published the anthology of stories Transcriptions Infields with Pero Azul.{{cite web|title=Carlos Alvarado Quesada|url=http://www.editorialcostarica.com/escritores.cfm?detalle=1067|website=Editorial Costa Rica|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715102416/https://www.editorialcostarica.com/escritores.cfm?detalle=1067|url-status=dead}} That same year, he obtained the Young Creation Award of Editorial Costa Rica with the novel La Historia de Cornelius Brown. In 2012, he published the historical novel Las Possessions, which portrays the dark period in Costa Rican history when the government confiscated the properties of Germans and Italians during World War II.

He served as an advisor to the Citizen Action Party's group in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica in the 2006-2010 period. He was a consultant to the Institute of Development Studies of the United Kingdom in financing SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), Department Manager of Dish Care & Air Care (Procter & Gamble Latin America), Director of Communication for the presidential campaign of Luis Guillermo Solís, professor in the School of Sciences of Collective Communication of the University of Costa Rica and the School of Journalism Of the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. During the Solís Rivera administration, he served as Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion and Executive President of the Joint Social Welfare Institute, the institution charged with combating poverty and giving state aid to the population with scarce resources. After the resignation of Víctor Morales Mora as minister, Alvarado was appointed minister of Labor.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nacion.com/el-pais/politica/carlos-alvarado-actual-presidente-del-imas-es-el-nuevo-ministro-de-trabajo/ZTDCEYS6XFDEXEQJQBFC4CSZPI/story/|title=Carlos Alvarado, actual presidente del IMAS, es el nuevo ministro de Trabajo|newspaper=La Nación|access-date=1 March 2022}}

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File:Carlos Alvarado Quesada CAQ PAC 03.jpg

Same-sex marriage was a major issue in the campaign, after a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights required Costa Rica to recognize such unions.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/02/costa-rica-quesada-wins-presidency-in-vote-fought-on-gay-rights|title=Costa Rica: Carlos Alvarado wins presidency in vote fought on gay rights|last=Henley|first=Jon|date=2018-04-02|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-07-03}} Presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz campaigned against same-sex marriage, while Alvarado Quesada argued to respect the court's ruling. On 1 April 2018, Alvarado Quesada won the presidential election (second round) with 61%, defeating Alvarado Muñoz.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-costarica-election/costa-rica-center-left-easily-wins-presidency-in-vote-fought-on-gay-rights-idUSKBN1H80XC|title=Costa Rica center-left easily wins presidency in vote fought on gay rights|publisher=Reuters|date=1 April 2018|author1=David Alire Garcia|author2=Enrique Andres Pretel}} He was sworn into office on 8 May 2018.{{Cite web |title=Chevening Alumnus Carlos Alvarado becomes 48th president of Costa Rica {{!}} Chevening |url=https://www.chevening.org/news/chevening-alumnus-carlos-alvarado-becomes-48th-president-of-costa-rica/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317073855/https://www.chevening.org/news/chevening-alumnus-carlos-alvarado-becomes-48th-president-of-costa-rica/ |archive-date=2022-03-17 |access-date=2022-03-18 |language=en}}

As president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada focused on decarbonizing Costa Rica's economy. He set a goal for the country to achieve zero net emissions by the year 2050.{{Cite web |date=4 March 2019 |title=Costa Rica Commits to Fully Decarbonize by 2050 |url=https://unfccc.int/news/costa-rica-commits-to-fully-decarbonize-by-2050 |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change}} He planned to build an electric rail-based public transit system for the capital, San José since 40% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-costa-rica-climatechange-transportati-idUSKCN1QE253|title=Costa Rica launches 'unprecedented' push for zero emissions by 2050|date=2019-02-25|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-04-02|language=en}} On 24 February 2019, he launched a plan to fully decarbonize the country's economy, in a ceremony alongside Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican former UNFCCC head.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theclimategroup.org/news/costa-rica-launches-plan-become-world-s-first-decarbonized-country|title=Costa Rica launches plan to become the world's first decarbonized country|date=2019-02-25|website=The Climate Group|language=en|access-date=2019-04-02|archive-date=2020-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727101224/https://www.theclimategroup.org/news/costa-rica-launches-plan-become-world-s-first-decarbonized-country|url-status=dead}} At this event, he described decarbonization as "the great challenge of our generation," and declared that "Costa Rica must be among the first countries to achieve it, if not the first."{{Cite web|url=https://unfccc.int/news/costa-rica-commits-to-fully-decarbonize-by-2050|title=Costa Rica Commits to Fully Decarbonize by 2050 {{!}} UNFCCC|website=Unfccc.int|access-date=2019-04-02}}

In December 2018, he pushed through a law that raised taxes and reduced public sector salaries, which he justified due to the country's poor economic situation. His actions resulted in the largest general strike in twenty years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.laizquierdadiario.com/Costa-Rica-Jornada-de-movilizacion-en-la-segunda-semana-de-huelga-contra-la-reforma-fiscal|title = Costa Rica: Jornada de movilización en la segunda semana de huelga contra la reforma fiscal|website=Laizquierdadiario.com}}

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to maintain a neoliberal economic policy with high social costs. The government has thus cut public spending, especially in the education budget. Unemployment has risen from 8.1% in 2017 to 14.4% by the end of 2021, 23% of the population lives below the poverty line and the public debt has reached 70% of GDP, one of the highest rates in Latin America. While this policy was supported in Congress by the National Liberation Party (PNL) and the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), the two main traditional parties, it has caused the government to lose the support of civil servants, academics, the left, and a large part of the middle class. According to ECLAC, Costa Rica is expected to be the Latin American country, along with Brazil, that will have the most difficulty in reviving its economy after the pandemic.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/02/06/l-indecision-domine-l-electorat-avant-les-elections-au-costa-rica_6112522_3210.html|title=L'indécision domine l'électorat avant les élections au Costa Rica|date=6 February 2022|access-date=1 March 2022|newspaper=Le Monde}}{{Cite web|url=https://ticotimes.net/2022/02/06/a-poorer-costa-rica-the-challenge-of-the-next-governor|title=A Poorer Costa Rica, the Challenge of the Next Governor|date=6 February 2022|website=Ticotimes.net|access-date=1 March 2022}}

The country's political life has been marked by corruption cases, both in government and in opposition parties, which have contributed to the discrediting of the political class among a part of the population. Ministers, former ministers, and mayors have been implicated in corruption cases involving embezzlement and bribery for multi-million dollar public works contracts. In 2021, six mayors, including the mayor of the capital San José, were arrested. Some cases even revealed the penetration of political circles by drug trafficking groups.{{Cite news |date=6 February 2022 |title=L'indécision domine l'électorat avant les élections au Costa Rica |newspaper=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/02/06/l-indecision-domine-l-electorat-avant-les-elections-au-costa-rica_6112522_3210.html |access-date=1 March 2022}}

At the end of Carlos Alvarado's presidential term, he had a twelve percent approval rating.{{Cite web|url=https://www.larepublica.net/noticia/imagen-de-carlos-alvarado-llega-a-su-punto-mas-bajo-en-cuatro-anos-y-ahora-un-72-tiene-una-opinion-negativa-de-su-gestion|title=Imagen de Carlos Alvarado llega a su punto más bajo en cuatro años y ahora un 72% tiene una opinión negativa de su gestión|website=Larepublica.net|access-date=1 March 2022}} His successor, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, assumed office on 8 May 2022.

During his time in office, Alvarado was invited to speak on topics of sustainability, energy, and climate change mitigation by organizations such as Chatham House,{{Cite web |date=2021-11-03 |title=In conversation with Carlos Alvarado Quesada |url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/members-event/conversation-carlos-alvarado-quesada |website=www.chathamhouse.org}} Atlantic Council,{{cite web | url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/lota-a-conversation-with-carlos-alvarado/ | title=Leaders of the Americas: A conversation with H.E. Carlos Alvarado, President of Costa Rica }} and DC Dialogues (moderated by Columbia University professor and CNN en Español columnist Geovanny Vicente).{{cite web | url=https://plas.princeton.edu/events/2021/prioritizing-biodiversity-and-green-energy-conversation-president-costa-rica-carlos | title=Prioritizing Biodiversity and Green Energy: A Conversation with President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado }}{{cite web | url=https://geovannyvicente.com/en/dcdialogues-prioritizing-biodiversity-and-green-energy-a-conversation-with-president-of-costa-rica-carlos-alvarado-nyu-washington-dc/ | title=[:en]#DCDialogues: Prioritizing Biodiversity and Green Energy: A Conversation with President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado - NYU Washington DC[:es]#DCDialogues: Priorizando la Biodiversidad y la Energía Verde: Una Conversación con el Presidente de Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado - NYU Washington DC[:] | date=12 July 2024 }} After his presidency, Alvarado continued with this academic agenda, serving as a keynote speaker for events at institutions such as Harvard University,{{cite web | url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/newsplus/former-costa-rican-president-alvarado-describes-his-countrys-public-health-successes/ | title=Former Costa Rican President Alvarado describes his country's public health successes | date=27 October 2022 }} the Inter-American Investment and Nature Forum (IABNF), organized by the Inter-American Institute of Justice and Sustainability (IIJS), where he has shared the stage with international leaders like Claudia S. de Windt, among others.{{Cite web |title=Inaugural IABNF 2023 sets biodiversity agenda |url=https://latam-news.co/news/inaugural-iabnf-2023-sets-biodiversity-agenda |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=LatAm Investor |language=en}}{{cite web | url=https://www.ii-js.org/iabnf2023-speakers/ | title=IABNF 2023 Speaker Lineup }}

Currently, he is a professor at the Graduate School of Global Affairs at Tufts University in Massachusetts, United States.{{cite web | url=https://fletcher.tufts.edu/people/faculty/carlos-alvarado-quesada | title=Carlos Alvarado Quesada | the Fletcher School }}

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• [https://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_central_y_caribe/costa_rica/carlos_alvarado_quesada Biography by CIDOB] (in Spanish)

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Category:1980 births

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Category:Costa Rican male writers

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