“The success of this convention will not be measured only by what is discussed here, but by what we do from now on,” said Dr. Maritza García García, president of the Environment Agency, in her closing remarks at the 15th International Convention on Environment and Development.
In response, he urged: “Maintain the path: turn shared ideas into concrete projects; strengthen integration and collaboration: no country, organization, or individual can face these challenges alone. Demand and act urgently: from our positions, each of us has a role to play.”
After intense days filled with keynote addresses, panels, and presentations at the exhibition stands, the 15th International Convention on Environment and Development closed.
The closing session was chaired by Yuneidys Imbert Chaple, deputy head of the Department of Social Sector Services of the Party Central Committee; Armando Rodríguez Batista, Minister of Science, Technology, and the Environment (Citma), Niurka María González Orberá, Secretary General of the National Union of Education, Science, and Sports Workers, Frank Eduardo Monterrey Padrón, President of the Technical Youth Brigades (BTJ), and Maritza García García, President of the Environmental Agency, the Citma entity organizing the convention.
Luz Margarita Figueredo Cardona, PhD, Secretary of the Scientific Committee of the convention, summarized the scientific activities carried out during the event, which included six conferences and a symposium, with multiple activities within each conference. At the closing ceremony, Eduardo Monterrey Padrón presented the Forgers of the Future seal, the highest recognition awarded by the Union of Young Communists (UJC) through its Technical Youth Brigades, to young people who excel in scientific and technical creation: Carlos Lázaro Jiménez Puerto, from the José Martí University of Sancti Spíritus; Dayron Cruz Hondal, from Citma.
The seal is awarded exceptionally to movement contributors who have significantly impacted the development of new generations. On this occasion, the 15th International Convention on Environment and Development Concludes
In her closing remarks, the AMA President indicated that the 15th edition brought together more than 1,200 delegates and guests from 22 countries, including Cuba, and that during the sessions “a fruitful dialogue was held, where progress, challenges, and opportunities in the fight for sustainable development based on science and innovation were analyzed, providing solutions linked to local and global environmental problems; various methodologies applied to the management of different natural resources were presented; and an inexhaustible personal exchange was maintained among all participants, achieving greater cooperation, creating new relationships, channels of communication, and bonds of friendship.”
She also emphasized the persistent challenges: growing environmental inequality, where the poorest populations are the most affected by climate change; the accelerated loss of biodiversity, which threatens to collapse entire ecosystems; and the resistance of some sectors to adopt sustainable production models, prioritizing short-term profits over the health of the planet.
In this context, he emphasized that “in the face of these challenges, our response must be unity, innovation, and determination. There is no time for indecision; science has given us a clear warning: either we act now, or the consequences will be irreversible.”
García García called for the consolidation of strategic alliances for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with special emphasis on climate action, biodiversity conservation, and the transition to clean energy; and for the presentation of technological and scientific innovations that promote the circular economy, emissions reduction, and adaptation to climate change.
Similarly, he called for the recognition of indigenous and local communities as guardians of biodiversity, incorporating their ancestral wisdom into global conservation strategies, establishing concrete commitments to public policies, and signing cooperation agreements between nations for the protection of critical ecosystems. The Executive President of the Organizing Committee thanked those who made this meeting possible: the sponsors, speakers, moderators, IT specialists, support staff, members of the organizing committee—in general, everyone—for their unwavering commitment to the development of this event and their determination to improve every day.
“Today, as we close this meeting, we don’t say ‘goodbye,’ but ‘see you soon,’ because the work continues. Let us continue building bridges, sharing solutions, and, above all, protecting this common home that is our planet,” she said.
The president of the Environmental Agency invited participants to the next edition of the convention, scheduled to be held in July 2027.
Source: www.citma.gob.cu
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