Havana, March 21 (RHC)-- The representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Havana, Theodor Friedrich, announced the implementation this year of a new collaboration program with Cuba mainly focusing on environmental sustainability and energy as part of actions by that UN agency to support the island’s development.

Speaking at a ceremony for World Water Day, commemorated on March 22nd, the FAO official praised Cuban efforts to guarantee drinking water access and supply to the people. He said that 768 million people in the world are currently undergoing lack of potable water, while over 2 million have no prpoer sanitation and more than one billion citizens have no electricity.

During the ceremony, which was headed by UNESCO representative in Cuba, Herman Van Hoff, and the president of the Cuban Water Resources, Ines Maria Chapman, participants addressed different issues linked to the use of water to generate energy.

At present, Cuba has more than 180 water-based energy generating plants in nine provinces, particularly in the eastern part of the country, which contributes electric power to nearly 8,000 homes in rural and mountainous areas.

The establishment of World Water Day was a proposal adopted by the UN Conference on the Environment and Development, held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro.