Cuba strengthens ties in environmental cooperation

HAVANA, Cuba, August 8 (ACN) Rudy Mata, Cuban deputy minister of science, technology, and environment (CITMA by its Spanish acronym), held strategic meetings with executives from the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention and the South Center, within the framework of the Plastic Pollution Treaty negotiations taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the meeting with Eisaku Toda, representative of the Minamata Convention (2013), the CITMA deputy minister highlighted Cuba's environmental legislative progress and the challenges facing developing countries in accessing financing and technologies, emphasizing the potential of the Carbon Market.
Toda recognized Cuba's efforts to eliminate mercury pollution and invited the island to the next Conference of the Parties in November.

In an exchange with Dr. Viviana Muñoz-Tellez, interim director of the Centro Sur and coordinator of the Center's Health, Intellectual Property, and Biodiversity programs, the vice minister expressed his gratitude for the institution's support in building capacity for nations of the South in critical areas such as biodiversity, health, and climate change.

Both reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen triangulation mechanisms that facilitate joint academic projects and innovative financing, thus consolidating Cuba's commitment to South-South cooperation and international environmental governance.