Energy revolution attracts UNEP director to Cuba

HAVANA

The executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program, Achim Steiner, said that the “energy revolution” is one of the things that has most attracted him to Cuba.

During a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 3, Steiner expressed his interest in learning how and why the Caribbean nation has made more progress than other countries in a more rational utilization of energy, with the benefits it brings to its economy.

“Cuba is a very well-educated country with a developing economy, but in many ways it is implementing policies that many underdeveloped countries are unable to do,” he said during a conversation with Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque.

Steiner also said he was impressed with how Cuba has developed its natural disaster prevention and warning system.

The UNEP director is in Cuba to participate in the 6th International Convention on Environment and Development, where he is scheduled to give a master’s lecture on Wednesday, July 4.

The event is the most important of its type in Cuba, and throughout its six editions, more than 4,000 delegates and guests have participated, 1,500 of them from more than 50 countries.

The event serves as an opportunity for reflection, learning, and an exchange of opinions, ideas and viable alternatives for solving the world’s environmental problems.