Santo Domingo, RD. - The Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (INESDYC) and the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) closed this Thursday the Diploma in Climate Negotiation and Diplomacy, with a graduation ceremony for its 29 participants.
This academic program was taught through the Center for Technology and Permanent Education (TEP-INICIA) and the Sustainability Chair "Alejandro E. Grullón E." of the PUCMM and the Popular Foundation.
During the closure of this diploma course, which was carried out with the support of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Natural Resources and the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism, the importance that for countries like the Dominican Republic it means having a trained team of negotiators on sustainability and climate change.
"It is no longer the groups of environmentalists who claim greater responsibility. Now it is the nations who want and must agree to reduce the effect of greenhouse gases, CO2 emissions and other pollutants such as plastics. To stop change climate change and the search for common solutions, the vehicle to achieve this is diplomacy", said the rector of Inesdyc, José Rafael Espaillat, before handing out the diplomas.
In his words, Elías Dinzey, general manager of the Popular Foundation, expressed that this initiative is part of the training actions that have been developed through the Chair, as a way of aligning the country's needs with international agreements on climate change. especially the Paris Agreement. "The participants in these training activities are in a better capacity to negotiate the most relevant aspects for our country, as an island state and highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change," Dinzey emphasized.
The executive vice president of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism, Max Puig, recounted the role that the Dominican Republic has played in settings such as the last XXVII Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention for the Climate Change (UNFCCC), -COP 27- held in November, in Egypt. "I have to say that the COP shows how important it is to have a good negotiating team. The Dominican Republic is doing well…", highlighted Dr. Puig.
This graduation closed with a talk by the specialist in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of the Capacity Building for Transparency Project (CBIT) of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Gabriela Márquez, who highlighted one of the achievements of COP 27: the approval of a fund to finance losses and damages from climate change. Márquez described this fund as a gesture of climate justice, which responds to a demand of more than 30 years.
"Despite this great achievement (the fund), we have a fight and a pending task, which attacks the root of the problem as science has indicated to us, and it is the abandonment of fossil fuels which requires a transformation of our economy ", highlighted Márquez. In this meeting, she also recognized the performance achieved by the Dominican delegation to COP27 led by young women: 55% were under 35 years of age, and 67% women.
"In the time that I have had the honor of working together with the Ministry of the Environment, I highlight the commitment of our leaders in allowing young people, and especially women, to be trained in this and other more technical areas in order to ensure that the country have teams capable of facing all the challenges that climate action implies," emphasized Márquez.
The event was attended by the rector and academic vice-rector of PUCMM, Father Secilio Espinal and Julio Ferrería, respectively. In addition, Alejandra Liriano, academic vice-rector of INEDYC, was present. The delivery of diplomas was headed by José Rafael Espaillat, Secilio Espinal, Max Puig, and Elías Dinzey.