SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 22 Feb (EUROPA PRESS) –
A first working meeting was held on Thursday by the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, with the newly appointed Committee of Experts for the Canary Islands 2030 Agenda.
During the meeting, Clavijo emphasized the Government’s dedication to fulfilling the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN and its determination to progress in meeting them with the assistance of Canarian scientists and universities.
Following the meeting, the Vice-Minister of the Presidency, Alfonso Cabello, highlighted a strong commitment to the “expertise” of Canarian scientists to advise various ministries on the implementation of the Canarian Agenda 2030.
“As a territory that crucially needs to address environmental, economic, and social sustainability, an outermost region like the Canary Islands stands out,” he explained.
To work consistently towards this objective, the Government representative regards it as “crucial” that the fulfillment of the Canarian Agenda 2030 is founded on scientists and researchers who will continually collaborate with various sectors of the autonomous community to provide advice and respond to their inquiries.
Furthermore, the coordinator of the new Committee of Experts, Abel López, emphasized the importance of the regional Executive endorsing their effort to develop the SDGs with the experts after the meeting with the president of the Canary Islands.
López believes that this scientific support ensures greater success in “informing and creating awareness” throughout society regarding the advancement of the 2030 Agenda in the archipelago. “It is crucial in such a vulnerable, fragmented, and distant territory,” she stated.
INVESTMENT IN RESEARCHERS
The representative of the Committee of Experts for the Canary Islands Agenda 2030 believes that the commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands to researchers and experts reinforces the message that action against climate change denial is necessary: “To deny the significance of the 2030 Agenda is to deny the scientific evidence.”
The primary task of this collective body is to oversee the implementation of the Canary Islands Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030 by the Government of the Canary Islands, as well as to evaluate the different initiatives emanating from the Canary Islands Council for Sustainable Development.
Similarly, the Committee of Experts for the Canarian Agenda 2030 will be responsible for scrutinizing, assessing, and proposing strategic actions to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, prioritizing those most relevant to the Canary archipelago.
It will also ensure the widespread integration of sustainability principles in all policies and actions developed within the Executive of the Canary Islands.
For all these initiatives, the assessment of the different administrations, academic institutions, and the scientific community will be required to take the necessary steps for their implementation based on consensus, as per a Government statement.
ALTRUISTIC COLLABORATION
The involvement of different administrations and departments with horizontal powers of the Government of the Canary Islands makes it advisable to assign the collegiate body to the Presidency of the Government, without prejudice to the support provided by the competent departments due to the matter dealt with in each case.
The Committee of Experts for the Canarian Agenda 2030 is composed of seven exceptional researchers who will work altruistically to contribute their expertise in the areas most affected by the environmental crisis that the planet is experiencing.
The creation of this new scientific advisory body arises from a request unanimously approved by the Canary Islands Council for Sustainable Development on October 20.
It is made up of Abel López Díez (doctoral assistant professor at the University of La Laguna), David Padrón Marrero (contracted doctoral professor at the University of La Laguna), Miriam Almenara Ramos (ecologist and Project Coordinator Technician at the La Rural Development Association Palma, ADER-La Palma), Noelia Cruz Pérez (researcher of the ARSINOE Project-University of La Laguna), Carlos Jiménez Martínez (contracted professor, doctor of the University of La Laguna), Inmaculada Galván Sánchez (contracted professor, doctor of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), and Arminda del Carmen Almeida Santana (contracted professor with a doctorate at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).
