Posted on August 5, 2021 by David B. Farer
Earlier this year, ACOEL co-sponsored and participated in a joint webinar with Columbia University, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Foundation Antonio Núñez Jiménez of Nature and Humanity (FANJ, a Cuban NGO) on the prospects and means of revitalizing the environmental Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that had been entered between the US and Cuban governments and other organizations during the Obama administration openings.
While the recent unrest in Cuba poses further challenges to US-Cuba environmental cooperation and to the goals of ACOEL and its International Pro Bono Committee in its interactions with its Cuban counterparts and fellow organizations and institutions such as those that co-sponsored the February 22 webinar, we hope to continue our initiatives.
Columbia University, which hosted and recorded the webinar, has graciously invited us to post it here, and we are now doing so.
The program, titled “Cuba-US Working Together Again: Lessons from Environmental Cooperation,” was comprised of two sessions. The morning Panel 1 provided history and context. The afternoon Panel 2 explored opportunities and strategies, including opportunities for College Fellows to provide pro bono services pursuant to the 2019 MOU between ACOEL and FANJ.
ACOEL was well represented in the event. Dan Whittle moderated the morning panel on history and context. Pam Giblin and Lee DeHihns participated in the afternoon panel, that I co-moderated, on opportunities and strategies. Dan Whittle prepared an introduction to the proceedings that talks briefly about each of the articles that will be in the proceeding. Dan’s intro can be found here.
I prepared a summary of the afternoon sessions that I moderated. The summary can be found here.
Here are the video links, one for each panel:
Panel 1: Morning Session
https://youtu.be/EyDMQ7mr_P4
Panel 2: Afternoon session
https://youtu.be/2OYsT1As5QQ
Written proceedings from the webinar are being prepared, and will also be posted when completed.