The Republic of Cuba is, according to its constitution, a socialist state organised as a Republic. The Constitution (adopted in 1976, amended 1992, 2002 and 2019) ascribes the Cuban Communist Party the role of the “highest leading force of society and of the state”. The President of the Council of State is the head of the government and presides over the Council of Ministers, the legislative branch is formed by the National Assembly of People’s Power; the People’s Supreme Court is the highest judicial body.
Cuba’s legal system follows the civil law tradition, adapted to the socialist system. The Constitution’s hierarchy is above any other norm from the country. Key features of the Constitution include the recognition of sovereignty being nontransferably with people — exercised “directly and via Assemblies of People’s Power and other organs of the State that are derived from them” (article 3) — , strict regulation of personal property, and government control of the economy. The National Assembly of People’s Power, according to article 102, is the supreme organ of the power of the State, representing the entire population and expressing their sovereign will. It is the only organ with legislative and constituent power within the Republic (article 103). Article 108 establishes that the duties of the National Assembly of People’s Power include “a. To agree upon reforms to the Constitution, according to that which is established in Title XI; b. To issue a general and obligatory interpretation of the Constitution and the laws, in necessary cases, in correspondence with the procedure prescribed by the law; […]”. Article 120 of the Constitution further establishes a Council of State under the National Assembly of People's Power. The Council of State’s duties include: “a. To ensure the implementation of the Constitution and the laws; b. To give a general and obligatory interpretation, in necessary cases, for the laws in force[…]” (article 122).
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Cuba
Political Groups
G77, SIDS, AOSIS
World Bank Income Group
Upper middle income
Share of Global Emissions
0.06%
Legislation
5
Laws, Acts, Constitutions (legislative branch)
Policies
8
Policies, strategies, decrees, action plans (from executive branch)
Litigation
Coming soon
Court cases and tribunal proceedings
Targets
6
Climate targets in National Law & Policy
Latest Documents
, 2019
The Constitution of Cuba was approved in a public national referendum in February 2019. It was drafted and submitted to public consultation between 2018 and 2019. The final version, published in January 2019 ahead of the referendum, was approved by 86.85 percent out of 8.7 million voters. In its preamble, the Constitution states Cuba’s commitment to “never returning to cap...
, 2017
The law sets the legal framework to organise the resilience of the country's inner waters, and mentions climate change adaptation as a core goal. The law was approved by the Cuban Parliament and published in the Official Gazette no 124, with Decree no. 337.
, 2017
The State Plan for confronting climate change, Tarea Vida, was approved in 2017 by the Council of Ministers. Its foresees a programme of progressive investments that will be executed in the short (year 2020), medium (2030), long (2050) and very long (2100) terms. Priority areas have been identified taking into account the preservation of people's lives in the most vulnerab...
, 2015
This plan is developed in order to meet the objectives of Agenda 2030. It aims at ensuring the conservation, protection and rational use of resources and natural conditions, as well as adaptation (including risk prevention) and actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, in such a way that the relationship with nature and the environment is a contributing factor to ...
, 2010
The Strategy is the guiding document for environmental policy. It replaced in 1997 the National Programme on Environment and Development, first elaborated in 1993 and representing the first initiative in response to international calls for elaboration of national plans on sustainable development. The Strategy defines the main environmental issues (land degradation, factors...
Targets (6)
Request to download all target data (.csv)- Reach 29.4% of forest cover in Cuba by 2015LULUCF: Afforestation | Target year: 2015Source: National Environmental Strategy 2011-2015
- Not ApplicableEconomy-wide: Economy Wide | Target year: 0
- 700 MW | distribution of 13 million LED lamps in the residential sector and 250,000 lamps for street lightingEnergy: Renewable Energy: Solar | Target year:
- 633 MW (13 wind farms)Energy: Renewable Energy: Wind | Target year:
- 755 MW (sugarcane and forestry biomass); 19 bioelectric systemsEnergy: Renewable Energy: Biofuels | Target year:
Legislative Process
Members of the National Assembly are elected by direct and proportional vote for a period of five years that can be extended under special circumstances. Some National Assembly members are elected to form the Council of State, which is the highest representative body of the state. The Constitution is the supreme law of the country, followed by Acts (adopted by the National Assembly) and decree-laws (issued by the Council of State between the sessions of the National Assembly and subject to subsequent ratification by the latter), and implementing legislation – decrees and agreements of the Council of Ministers, regulations, resolutions and other general provisions of the national state bodies. Climate legislation can be proposed by members of the National Assembly; the Council of State; the Council of Ministers; the commissions of the National Assembly of People’s Power; the Central Organisation of Cuban Trade Unions and the national offices of the other social and mass organisations; and at least 10, 000 citizens eligible to vote. Laws and resolutions (excluding Constitutional reforms) are adopted by the National Assembly by a simple majority vote and go into effect on the date determined by those laws, after signature by the president of the National Assembly. They are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic.