Havana, August 1. A Training and Technical Exchange Workshop on Cuba's integration into the carbon market is being held in Havana, citing its strategic role as a key element for sustainable development.

The initiative brings together specialists from key organizations in this field, and its inauguration included Armando Rodríguez Batista, Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment (Citma); Telce Abdel González Cruz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture; and Mario Cerutti, Director General of the Lavazza Foundation of Italy.

González Cruz explained the benefits of the carbon market, the country's potential, and the strategic nature of the path toward sustainability, according to information provided by Citma's Communications Department.

He added that Cerutti referred to the concept of innovation and business models that contribute not only to carbon, but also to a more comprehensive view of actions related to climate change.

The first day of the event included the presentation of the Citma Resolution as an enabling standard for accessing carbon markets, by the organization's legal director, Daimar Cánovas.

Andrea Ronchi, CEO of the consulting firm CO2 Advisor, and Stefano Merlin, founder of Sustainable Carbon, spoke at the meeting, drawing on their professional experiences.

There were also presentations on Business Model Principles for carbon credits in the strategy of BioCubaCafé, a joint venture between the AgroForestal Group of Cuba (GAF), the Giuseppe and Pericle Foundation, Lavazza ETS, and HEI SRL of Italy. Michele Curto, president of BioCubacafé, gave a videoconference with Santiago de Cuba, with the participation of producers involved in its production and other organic foods in the mountains of eastern Cuba.

A roundtable discussion brought together experts from the Citma Technical Unit, the Carbon Market Group, the Ministry of Agriculture, and international consultants.

The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in November 1997, allowed a group of 37 industrialized countries and the European Union to commit to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 5% between 2008 and 2012, compared to 1990 levels.

To this end, they devised "carbon credits," also called "emission reduction certificates," similar to other types of credits traded on markets, but with certain regulations and mechanisms specific to regional, national, or international markets.

The idea behind their creation was to incentivize, rather than force, stakeholders to stabilize and reduce their GHG emissions.