The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment's (Citma) accountability to the National Assembly of People's Power constitutes much more than an institutional exercise: it is synonymous with effort, commitment, and strategic projection in a fundamental area for the country. This was expressed by Esteban Lazo Hernández, a member of the Political Bureau of the Party's Central Committee and president of the National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State.
When notifying executives, scientists, department heads, and provincial delegates in the Baraguá Hall of the National Capitol of Agreement X-139, which provides for the agency's accountability, Lazo Hernández emphasized that this is an opportunity to unite and reflect on what more can be done through science to benefit the Cuban economy.
This process of popular control will be finally evaluated in the Sixth Ordinary Session of the 10th Legislature, to be held in December 2025, as subsequently confirmed by Marta Mesa Valenciano, president of the Committee on Education, Culture, Science, Technology, and Environment.
In her statements, she emphasized key aspects such as the fulfillment of state functions in matters of scientific, technological, and innovation policies; the integration of actors in the science and technology system; the development of social and humanistic research; the implementation of the National Industrial Property System; technological surveillance; environmental policy; meteorology and seismic risk studies; document and archive management; standardization and quality; and the promotion of high-tech companies and science parks.
Mesa Valenciano added that the report will cover the results of the 2024 year-end and the months from January to September 2025. “The representatives appointed by the Economic Affairs and National Defense and Internal Order committees will actively participate in their localities in evaluation and analysis of the organization,” he explained, also acknowledging their role in the success of the verifications and investigations necessary for comprehensive oversight.
The minister of the branch, Armando Rodríguez Batista, spoke along these lines. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to carry out this exercise of popular oversight, which, he said, will impact the challenges that have marked Citma's history in Cuba since its founding in 1994.
“Returning to this building, where the main decisions in science, technology, and innovation were made in the 1990s, is a symbol and a motivation for us,” the minister stated, alluding to the historical value of the space that hosted the meeting and which served as the organization's headquarters in Cuba until 2020.
Rodríguez Batista listed the components of the current Citma system, where “the nine thousand ministry employees, plus experts on Cuba, plus fifty universities, plus research centers within the agencies, plus governments and their local specialists in the field, demonstrate the capacity and dedication of professionals who tirelessly contribute to the country's sustainable growth.”
He also highlighted the role of lesser-known but fundamental institutions, such as the National Accreditation Office, which guarantees national and international competencies, and the National Archives of Cuba, an institution of historical and spiritual symbolism for the nation. The minister also mentioned the network of municipal and provincial archives as part of the effort to preserve the island's documentary memory.
“We have much to do with new technologies to benefit the Cuban economy,” the minister concluded, announcing the constant incorporation and development of experts in all provincial delegations, aimed at strengthening inter-institutional alliances to face the nation's present and future challenges.
One of the most moving moments of the exchange—which also included the participation of Martha Hernández Romero, coordinator of the National Assembly's permanent working committees, and Félix Martínez Suárez, president of the Economic Affairs Committee—was the special mention of Rosa Elena Simeón, founder of Citma and a promoter of strategic decisions in a ministry "that, more than just focuses on the environment, builds the sustainability and well-being of its population."
