Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín

Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín was born in Bejucal, Cuba, a small town south of Havana.

She earned her doctorate in Medicine and Veterinary Sciences from the University of Havana, and was a senior researcher and associate professor at the Higher Institute of Agricultural Sciences in that city.

From the beginning of her career, her work was linked to scientific and technical activities, a field in which she excelled and for which she received numerous recognitions and honors for her research.

During the seventies and eighties, Dr. Simeón Negrín worked as a virology expert for the FAO. She also served as president of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba from 1985 to 1994.

In 1986 she was appointed by the Cuban government as Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, a position she held until her death in 2004.

Her leadership as environmental minister coincided with a time when environmental issues began to gain prominence and consideration on the official agendas of governments and other international organizations. The minister successfully translated many sustainable development practices into action in Cuba.

Similarly, the doctor distinguished herself internationally by representing Cuba at the World Summit on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (better known as the Earth Summit) in 1992; and two years later at the United Nations Summit on Small Island States, in Barbados.

Under her leadership, the ninth meeting of the Forum of Environment Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean was organized and held in Cuba in 1995. This event marked a significant change by promoting the incorporation of methodologies developed by the United Nations Environment Programme to address the region's environmental problems.

In August 2002 she chaired the Cuban delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this regard, Simeón Negrín always maintained a clear vision and understanding of the concept of "thinking globally and acting locally" by remaining active in environmental affairs in Cuba, while also positioning herself as a key figure in negotiations on environmental issues at the international level.

She was also a member of many scientific societies in various countries, such as the Academy of Sciences of Mexico and the Microbiology Society of Prince Leopold, of Belgium.

Simeón Negrín represented her country by actively participating in discussions on the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, a document that promoted the implementation of measures agreed upon in the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.

In 2000, she was elected a member of the Administrative Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, an organization that posthumously awarded her the Champions of the Earth 2006 prize. This award recognizes Rosa Elena's work and "her passion for the environment," considered a "brilliant example for the entire world."

The Cuban doctor and environmental leader passed away at age 61, in Havana, on October 22, 2004.