38 years ago today, October 13, 1987 (August 21, 1987 in the lunar calendar), Costa Rican President Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize. On October 13, 1987, the Nobel Prize Committee of the Parliament of Norway announced that it would award Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts in the Central American peace agreement reached in Guatemala City. According to reports, President Arias is the main initiator of the Central American peace plan. He made "outstanding contributions to the possibility of restoring peace and stability in a region that has been turbulent for a long time due to war and civil strife." The Nobel Prize Committee believes that since the Central American Peace Agreement reached in Guatemala City was the result of cooperation among the five signatories, it laid a solid foundation for "cooperation and the development of democratic processes among the people and countries of the region." "The important impact of President Arias's efforts for peace will go beyond Central America," the committee noted. The official awarding ceremony of the Peace Prize was held in Oslo on December 10.