More than 700,000 inhabitants of coastal communities in Havana will have an “adaptation plan to the challenges of climate change,” according to a recent report from the Cuba office of the United Nations Program (UNDP) in charge of implementing it.
The project involves areas from Bajos de Santa Ana, in Playa municipality, to Rincón de Guanabo, in Habana del Este, including six coastal municipalities (Playa, Plaza de la Revolución, Centro Habana, Old Havana, Regla, Habana del East). Its implementation period is 4.5 years with the financing of three million dollars.
The initiative has the support of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and is implemented by the UNDP in partnership with the Environment Agency of the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA).
According to the UNDP on its website, the project makes it possible to “identify the specific risks and vulnerabilities of each sector and population group, as well as integrating adaptation measures and investment decisions in the development planning process.”
The program began with a workshop on December 1, in which Tatiana Viera, coordinator of objectives and programs of the government of Havana, highlighted the value of the project for the city, within the framework of the multiple actions carried out to adapt to climate change and attention to vulnerable areas.
Seven days later, the UNDP reported on the start of the initiative in the Old Havana municipality. Ivan Zverzhanovski, deputy resident representative of this agency on the island, pointed out that for 10 years they have been working to increase urban resilience in the face of disasters, as part of their efforts to accompany Cubans in facing these challenges, according to this source.
For his part, Fernando Hilraldo, also a UNDP resident representative in Cuba, explained that it is about promoting a comprehensive approach to adaptation and reduction of disaster risks, providing an integrated assessment of current and future risks, for the identification and prioritization of the adaptation measures to be implemented.
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The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is an agency belonging to the United Nations System that collaborates in the search for integrated solutions to the challenges faced by countries on the road to sustainable human development, in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.
The UNDP has an office in Cuba and has been carrying out permanent cooperation activities since 1973.
