Rio Macho Orosi, Costa Rica
This painting is of the Rio Macho, or strong river, in the Orosi valley of Costa Rica. The Orosi region has a well-established community due to its abundance of water and fertile land for its many coffee plantations. The Orosi region has some of the richest vistas and pleasant scenery to view due to its natural rain forests and volcanoes nearby. Costa Rica has made advances in human development and inequality when compared to similar income level countries and ranks 12th happiest country in the World Happiness report. The painting depicts a tropical landscape and had been described as a tribute to the ecological commitments of Costa Rica.
Artist Fernando Soto Harrison had great knowledge of the political and social realities in the country. He took part in many projects to improve citizenship, he promoted electoral reform, aided in trade relations for both Japan and China with Costa Rica, and supported the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
The Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, Fernando Berrocal-Soto, presented this gift to the United Nations and Secretary-General Kofi Annan accepted it.