David B. Farer, Co-Chair of the firm’s Environmental Department and a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL), will serve as a session co-moderator for a two-part presentation on “Cuba-US Working Together Again: Lessons from Environmental Cooperation.” The program is being co-sponsored by ACOEL, Columbia University, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Foundation Antonio Nunez Jimenez of Nature and Humanity (FANJ), a Cuban non-governmental institution (NGO).

Two separate webinar sessions are scheduled for Monday, February 22, 2021. Open free-of-charge to the general public as well as experts, academics and students, the sessions will be accessed live on the Zoom webinar platform as follows:

History & Context: 10:00am – 12:30pm (ET)

Prospects for strengthening and deepening environmental dialogue and cooperation between Cuba and the U.S. including facilitating cooperation among academics, scientists, and other experts, as well as non-governmental organizations.

Actions & Strategies: 1:30pm – 4:00pm (ET)  

Discussion of opportunities for the sponsoring organizations/institutions/agencies/groups in both countries to work collaboratively on particular issues or projects in furtherance of environmental cooperation and development of ideas for an action agenda for lawyers, environmentalists, scientists, scholars, students, and faculty to provide and obtain project- oriented expertise including provision of pro bono services. The concluding discussion will focus on recommendations to be disseminated to relevant interest groups for discussion, elaboration, and action.

Mr. Farer will co-moderate the Actions & Strategies webinar session. He is a past President of ACOEL and currently serves as Co-Chair of the College’s International Pro Bono Committee and as Chair of the ACOEL Cuba Working Group.   

As background, the 2014 resumption of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba led to negotiations concerning matters of mutual interest to the two countries, including environmental issues. The co-sponsoring entities of the upcoming webinar have had ongoing involvement in promoting and advocating for scientific exchanges and environmental dialogue and cooperation since that time.  In 2019, Mr. Farer facilitated ACOEL’s first Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with a Cuban foundation, and in February of 2019, Mr. Farer represented ACOEL in Havana at the signing of the College’s MOU with FANJ, an NGO engaged in research and the advancement of environmental projects and programs from both scientific and cultural perspectives.

Additional program details are available on ACOEL’s website.