Paris, May 17. The Ambassador of Cuba, Maria del Carmen Herrera Caseiro participated in the exchange with the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mr. Simon Stiell, organized by the president of the Executive Board of UNESCO to discuss the issue of climate change and UNESCO's role in combating this global challenge.
In her intervention, the Permanent Representative of Cuba referred to the need to undertake urgent actions and assume more ambitious commitments to confront the climate crisis, emphasizing the obligation of developed countries to take the lead by virtue of their historical responsibility and as established in the Convention and its Paris Agreement. “We all have a duty to contribute, but it is first and foremost up to developed nations to raise ambition, not only in terms of emissions reductions, but also in providing appropriate means of implementation to developing countries,” she reaffirmed.
In this context, the Cuban diplomat referred to the enormous efforts made by developing countries to carry out climate action in the midst of the tough battle to achieve sustainable development and the eradication of poverty, and stated that the most ambitious commitments on the part of these countries were closely linked to the provision of necessary support from developed countries.
At the same time, she described the commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as insufficient and lacking the sense of urgency that the current climate situation demanded. “Ambitious reductions are needed now, before 2030, if we are to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C, as agreed in Paris.”
On the other hand, the Island official considered the results of COP28 as positive, in particular the decisions on the operationalization of the Fund for Loss and Damage derived from climate change, the Global Goal on Adaptation, the Just Transition Work Program and the Global Stocktake of the Implementation of the Paris Agreement. She added, however, that such results were not perfect and that it was necessary to continue to build on them in future negotiations.
At the same time, she highlighted the establishment of a New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, based on the needs of developing countries, as a priority for this year and a key outcome of COP29.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to UNESCO