[{"bbox": [85, 154, 300, 181], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 199, 222, 222], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [85, 239, 1123, 318], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed Action takes place in the Republic of Cuba, and aims at supporting the ecological transition of 8 municipalities with a special focus on the food-energy-water nexus and with a clear vision of sustainability linked to economic, environmental, social and generational dimensions."}, {"bbox": [85, 329, 1123, 437], "category": "Text", "text": "The global context is currently marked by the war of aggression to Ukraine which has generated globally a shock wave which has affected among others the resilience of food systems worldwide. This occurred after the COVID 19 pandemic which had already provided a major blow to the global economy and supply systems and had made more evident the vulnerabilities of a global system based on a few food and energy producers/suppliers."}, {"bbox": [85, 449, 1123, 688], "category": "Text", "text": "This troubled global context has worsened the already very complex Cuban context characterized by the long lasting US Embargo, the inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism and the inefficiencies of the centrally planned economy. The international escalation of prices in highly sensitive sectors such as energy and agro-food combined with the great dependence on imports and the low national productivity, has led the country into an emergency situation characterized by the lack of basic goods (food, medicines, hygienic goods, etc.), regular cuts in electricity supply and strong limitations to accessing fossil fuels. Discontent is increasing, and a large share of young Cubans have recently left or planning to leave the country. The most dramatic evidence is the drop in life expectancy of eight years according to data of the 2021 demographic survey, especially due to doubling mortality rates in the elderly groups."}, {"bbox": [85, 699, 1123, 886], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action offers a unique opportunity to support Cuba's decentralisation policy and also, continue to promote a territorial approach to local development (TALD), driven by developmental local authorities, with a view to fostering economic development, social cohesion and environmental sustainability. Such legal framework runs parallel to the policy and law on food sovereignty and nutritional education, as well as the national strategy on renewable energies and energy efficiency, meant to be implemented at local level. The broad participation of civil society is also crucial, notably through farmers' associations, cooperatives, smallholders, young people and women's organisations and organisation of persons with disabilities."}, {"bbox": [85, 898, 1123, 1110], "category": "Text", "text": "Sustainable interventions foreseen under this Action will contribute to improve food and energy security, boost socio-economic benefits in the form of job creation and industrial activity, as well as to generate positive environmental outcomes, increase resilience, adapting to and mitigating climate change, reducing global GHG emissions, improving local air pollution and other environmental outcomes. The Action as such follows the GCCA+ project in the municipality of Marti which already placed the municipality level at the centre of the programme. The design of the Action was supported by the TALD facility. To put local authorities in the driver's seat of the Action and promote bottom-up processes, the EU organised workshops in Cuba on the TALD with participation of Cuban national and local authorities."}, {"bbox": [85, 1122, 1123, 1336], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU has contributed through most of its programmes to local innovation in the agriculture and energy sectors with territorial approach to local development. As mentioned above, this Action will contribute to the TEI on Ecological Transition coordinated with Italy, Spain, France and The Netherlands specifically on the areas of water and sanitation, renewable energy, food systems, local development and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. It also links with the Swedish ongoing support to civil servant's capacities at local level. Past and ongoing actions funded by the EU and the TEI members have already positioned the **EU as the leading partner for the inclusive ecological transition in Cuba.** The proposed Action aims at maintaining this vital space for the EU and fosters further cooperation between EU and Cuba on sustainable municipalities."}, {"bbox": [85, 1387, 311, 1413], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [85, 1427, 1123, 1640], "category": "Text", "text": "Cuba has a total carbon emission per capita of 2.3 tons/person/year (vs. 6.1 EU average) (World Bank 2019), with electricity, transport, agriculture, water distribution and heating/cooling as main sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. However, the country is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts and natural disasters, especially those related to coastal threats (sea level rise, coastal erosion, seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers) and extended droughts. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) does not present an overall greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation target in absolute terms, but in 2022 Cuba has increased its ambition of electricity generation from renewable sources as part of the country's electricity matrix from 24% to 37% (by 2030). Other NDC sectors are transport and agriculture, forestry and other land uses (AFOLU). NDC"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 26"}]