The nation is proposing the “consensus of Costa Rica” at the hemispheric meeting that had its formal opening Sunday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The meeting is the general assembly of the Organization of American States.

The consensus, according to Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Costa Rica’s foreign minister, is a new alliance for development that promotes opportunities at a global scale and urges a reduction in military spending.

Within this consensus, Costa Rican officials, including President Óscar Arias Sánchez are proposing that developed nations pardon the debts of developing countries so that more can be spent on health, education and housing and less on arms and soldiers, said a statement from the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto.