World Refugee Day 2004 National Activity Plan: Costa Rica

A play based on "Anne Frank's Diary" will be performed by a group of young actors starting in August. It aims to convey a message of respect, acceptance and humanity towards people who are victims of armed conflicts. It will be presented in various high schools in the country and will be followed by group discussions between the teachers and students. Teachers will be guided by a brochure which includes key refugee concepts and examples of refugee situations. UNHCR will also provide students with other educational materials.

For this event, UNHCR has provided a set of 40 photographs of different refugee situations worldwide. Some of these photos will be selected and exhibited at the theatre where the play will be presented. Moreover, after the presentation of the play, a UNHCR staff/counterpart member will interact with the students - using the "guide" or brochure - to explain more about who is a refugee and what UNHCR does to help them.

In partnership with the cinema, "El Semaforo", UNHCR will organise a film festival including 13 refugee-related movies. The festival will run for two weeks starting 21 June, and will be inaugurated by a discussion panel.

UNHCR, together with its implementing partners, will organise an outdoor cultural and refugee artisans' fair on 20 June at the Metropolitan Park "La Sabana" in San José. There will be stands of products and handicrafts made by refugees, music, cultural activities, family games and sports activities.

A photo exhibition, "Arrancados de Raíz", will be held in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. It will present a selection of photographs taken by UNHCR in Colombia, with portraits of displaced Colombians and Colombian refugees in Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica.

A documentary, set up with the support of the video production unit of the University for Peace, will be broadcast on 21 June on Channel 7's "7 dias" programme.

A Catholic mass dedicated to the refugee population will be held on 20 June at San José Metropolitan Cathedral. Selected messages on refugee-like situations from the Bible will be read on this occasion. UNHCR, with the support of CARITAS, is sending a message to all the churches and parishes around the country, suggesting that they hold similar masses on 20 June.

30,000 WRD postcards will be distributed in 80 different stores, restaurants, cafés and universities around San José.

Two opinion articles will be published in La Nación newspaper on the situation of refugees in Costa Rica and in Latin America. The first one will be by UNHCR's Representative to Costa Rica and will be published on 19 June. The other article on 20 June will be by Antônio Cançado Trindade, a judge at the Interamerican Court of Human Rights and former president of the Court.