Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín was the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment of Cuba. Her role in government includes raising awareness of environmental issues amongst Cubans.

Career

Simeón took on the position of Minister of the Environment in 1986 at a time when the issue was beginning to feature prominently in the political agenda of Governments and international organizations. In 1989, she participated, for the first time, in the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, whose sixth meeting took place in

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

that year. Since then she has played a prominent role in subsequent regional forums and her presence has been widely recognized. Simeón was responsible for directing Cuba's preparations for the Rio Summit. In 1994 she participated in the development of the

Alliance of Small Island States Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organization of low-lying coastal and small island countries. AOSIS was established in 1990, ahead of the Second World Climate Conference. The main purpose of the alliance is to c ...

Summit (AOSIS). The ninth meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean took place in Cuba in 1995. Under Simeón's presidency, this event marked a significant change in those forums, with a shift of approach in the way the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

(UNEP) dealt with environmental problems in the region. Simeón attended the Kyoto Summit in 1997, to participate in the discussion of the Protocol that bears that city's name, a Protocol which was developed for the purpose of implementing the

United Nations framework convention on climate change The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the UN process for negotiating an agreement to limit dangerous climate change. It is an international treaty among countries to combat "dangerous human interference with th ...

. She was elected a member of the Bureau of the

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

Governing Council in 2000, participating in the

World Summit on Sustainable Development The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, took place in South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development organizations, 10 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (It was t ...

in South Africa in 2002. In 2003, after her role in the negotiation of its headquarters agreement, she presided over the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through ...

, which took place in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Council of Ministers of Cuba

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simeon Negrin, Rosa Elena Government ministers of Cuba Nature conservation in Cuba Living people Communist Party of Cuba politicians Women government ministers of Cuba Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Cuban women politicians 21st-century Cuban politicians 20th-century Cuban women politicians 20th-century Cuban politicians