The non-governmental organization (NGO) The Ocean Fundation signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment Environment (Citma) with the aim of strengthening cooperation to conserve marine ecosystems.
The document was signed by the business manager of the Cuban embassy in the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, and the president of The Ocean Foundation, Mark J. Spalding, and would create opportunities for collaboration in marine science research, according to with a note published by the official website Cubadebate.
??? Today, we signed an MoU with the Government of Cuba, one that marks the first time the Government of Cuba has signed an MoU with an NGO in the United States. Cheers to many more decades of collaboration in #ocean #science and #policy.https://t.co/tYzpp6QfzP
— The Ocean Foundation (@oceanfdn) February 28, 2023
The agreement contemplates undertaking actions to adapt to climate change such as the recovery of mangrove areas and the reduction in the deterioration of the crests of coral reefs.
During the signing ceremony, Torres Rivera conveyed Citma’s satisfaction with this new instrument, which adds to the agreements with US federal agencies that allow bilateral scientific cooperation, the publication refers.
The diplomat also pointed out that this memorandum is an achievement on the path to reestablishing cooperative relations advantageous for both nations, and stressed that the agreement is the result of several decades of work between the US foundation and Cuban research institutions.
“This memorandum represents what Cuba and the US can achieve if they work together,” Torres Rivera said, quoted by the outlet.
For his part, Mark J. Spalding affirmed that the foundation he chairs maintains its commitment of more than three decades to use science as a bridge for the protection of shared marine resources.
“We are sure that agreements like this can lay the foundations for greater cooperation between our governments in matters of coastal and ocean science,” he added, according to Cubadebate.
The Ocean Foundation is a global community based in the United States with a mission to support, strengthen and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world.
His focus is oriented to minimize emerging threats, generate cutting-edge solutions and better strategies for their implementation. It has beneficiaries, partners and projects on all continents and is related to donors and governments committed to ocean conservation anywhere in the world.
Cubadebate recalls that, although the memorandum is not a binding agreement, it establishes the premises for a mutual cooperation relationship between neighboring nations that share marine areas and common ecosystems.
Cuba and the United States signed a joint declaration on November 24, 2015 with the objective of protecting the marine and coastal biological diversity of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
During the Obama administration, a rapprochement between various Cuban and American scientific institutions was promoted, but that link was affected by the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency.
Without reaching the level that relations between the two countries reached during the stage of the so-called thaw, the executive led by Biden has taken light steps to promote exchange in sectors of mutual interest, such as immigration, security and confronting natural disasters. , among others.
