Cuba participates in High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 14 (ACN) Cuba reaffirmed its solidarity with the Pacific Islands and reiterated the urgency of taking urgent action and making more serious commitments to help mitigate or eliminate the effects of climate change, speaking at the High-Level Dialogue on the Need for Urgent Action on Climate Change, organized virtually by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIF).

Adianez Taboada Zamora, Cuban deputy minister of Science, Technology and Environment and head of the Caribbean delegation to the event, shared with the participants the important experiences of the State Plan for the Fight against Climate Change, known as "Task Life", which is implemented in the national territory and comprises "adaptation and mitigation actions in all sectors of the economy and the society, in correspondence with the Economic and Social Development Program of the country until 2030".

The deputy minister highlighted that in the international order, Cuba has taken important steps in the fulfillment of the climate agreements, by presenting "the update of its Nationally Determined Contribution, which contains thirteen adaptation actions and five mitigation goals, mainly aimed at the agriculture, transport, forestry and renewable energy sectors," Cubaminrex reported.

Opening the meeting, Tuvalu's PM and chairman of the forum, honorable Kausea Natano, said the Paris Agreement was a milestone in protecting all people and the planet. "But we are not fulfilling our commitments, we are not on the right track" .

For her part, the Secretary General of the FIP, Meg Taylor, considered that COVID-19 should not be a reason to delay action against climate change. "Rather, it should serve as a motivation for the global community to better prepare for the shocks, back up our policies with science, and strengthen multilateral efforts to address common threats.

The dialogue session, convened on the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement, was attended by the presidents of Nauru and the Marshall Islands; the prime ministers of Fiji, Tuvalu, Samoa, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, as well as representatives of the 18 FIP Dialogue Partners, a status Cuba has held since 2012.