When addressing the Forum the Cuban Deputy Minister of Citma (Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment) Adianez Taboada, warned that these are the ecosystems with the highest rate of loss and degradation on the planet.
In order to preserve them, he noted, international public funding should be increased, with predictable resources up to 2030, as well as enhancing the use of domestic resources, based on capacity building, technology transfer and knowledge, Priority is given to small island developing states and coastal countries, which have a high vulnerability index.
He pointed out that wetlands represent about 60 percent of the country’s territory, and their restoration, conservation and sustainable use have been prioritized in national public policies supported by a recently updated legal body.
In this regard, tshe emphasized the National Environmental Strategy, the National Biological Diversity Programme for 2030 and the State Plan for Coping with Climate Change (Task Life), from which external and national resources are arranged for their management, based on an ecosystem and multi-sectoral approach, involving a diverse range of actors in society.
According to Taboada, the issue is prioritized in Cuba despite the effects of the US government’s blockade and the unilateral and unjustified inclusion on the list of nations that Washington says are sponsoring terrorism.
Cuba dallocates resources through different economic and financial mechanisms, mainly the National Forest Development Fund, the National Environment Fund, the National Science and Innovation Fund and the National System of Science and Innovation Programmes and Projects, among others which are being studied and progressively implemented, said the Citma’s deputy.
The COP15, under the motto “Protecting wetlands for our common future”, brings together in Zimbabwe representatives of governments, scientists, indigenous peoples, young delegates and leaders from all sectors to strengthen global cooperation to stop and reverse wetland loss.
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