The International Workshop on Research, Development and Demonstration of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) took place on 22-23 May at the United Nations City in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cuba participated in the CTCN Workshop. The country was represented by Armando Rodríguez Batista, Director of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA). The CTCN is the operational arm of the Executive Committee on Technologies (TEC), created by the United Nations Convention on Climate Change and it is responsible of providing technical assistance to developing countries in the area of technologies for mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Rodríguez highlighted Cuba's role in shaping human potential for research on climate change and the implementation of the Macro-project on Coastal Hazards and Vulnerability for the years 2050-2100, which has identified the threats facing the Cuban archipelago and paved the way for the recent approval of the State Plan to face the climate change, known as “Tarea Vida”, by the Council of Ministers of Cuba.
In addition, he pointed out that two strategic axes of the Cuban Economic and Social Development Plan for 2030, recently approved by the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, are deeply linked to climate change: Human Potential, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Environment and Natural Resources.
The meeting followed up on the decision of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 21) held in Paris in 2015 to entrust to TEC and CTCN for promoting research and innovation in the field of climate change technologies and the endogenous development of capacities and technologies in different countries, particularly in strategic sectors such as energy, agriculture, transport, water, among others.
CITMA's Director of Science, Technology and Innovation referred to the role of the CTCN as a complement to national development programs for adaptation and mitigation to climate change in developing countires, as well as the need to strengthen technology transfer, South-South cooperation and the capacity building for research, development and innovation. He emphasized that project proposals should take into account the State's technological policies and their national and local priorities, with an approach based on the social benefit of technological solutions and sustainability. (Embacuba Dinamarca).