Diaz-Canel speaks at Climate Change Conference COP-28

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 1 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, spoke today at the World Summit on Climate Action in the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-28) taking place in Expo City, venue of the mega event that brings together in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), more than 70,000 participants from around the world.

The right of humanity to exist should be the main motivation of our discussions, said the Cuban president during his speech at the event, according to the X account of the Presidency.

The Head of State took the opportunity to remind the participants of the meeting of the genocide committed against the Palestinian population in Gaza, and condemned, on behalf of Cuba, the escalation of violence and terror unleashed against that region of occupied Palestine.

Likewise, Diaz-Canel hailed the decision adopted to operationalize the Fund for Losses and Damages and the commitments announced to start capitalizing it, but warned that they are still insufficient for the needs of developing countries.

Science has repeatedly warned us of the catastrophic consequences of rising global temperatures. Ignoring it would be the most costly mistake of the human species, he said later.

The Cuban president emphasized that reversing this situation is clearly everyone's task, but only developed nations are in a position to achieve the most ambitious reductions in their emissions, and to support the actions of the South with means of implementation.

On the road travelled since Paris, developing countries have promoted numerous climate actions, but solidarity has been lacking and the commitments of developed countries have not materialized in accordance with their capacities and responsibilities, he added.

Diaz-Canel pointed out that COP-28, which will conclude the First Global Stocktaking on the Implementation of the Paris Agreement, is a unique opportunity to correct the course of collective efforts in the fight against climate change.

Count on the contribution of the Group of 77 and China, he expressed.

The dignitary took the opportunity to ratify the commitment to implement the Nationally Determined Contribution and to advance in an Energy Transition Strategy for a much more resilient development model, despite the fact that Cuba contributes less than 0.1 % of global emissions.

Towards the end of his speech, the Cuban President brought up the Earth Summit, held in 1992, where Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, ended by warning: "Tomorrow it will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago".

Also in the context of COP-28, the Cuban head of state spoke with Antonio Guterrez, Secretary General of the United Nations, as journalist Leticia Martinez shared in her account in X, through a video.

Cuban president leads Cuba's delegation attending the COP-28 in the UAE and the Summit of Leaders of the Group of 77 and China, which will also discuss climate change.