NEW YORK
- Following the coronavirus outbreak, the world will never be the same again. This Wednesday morning, at the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, emphasized that the Covid-19 pandemic taught us a sad, but valuable lesson, which we must learn.
That scourge revealed the fragility of health systems and brought to light the cruelty of the inequalities that define the world, stated the Head of State. Millions lost their lives, mostly among the poorest and most vulnerable.
As he pointed out, pandemics do not recognize borders, ideologies, or levels of development. Therefore, the global struggle must transcend political differences.
The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba remembered that "Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U. S. government provided temporary humanitarian exemptions to nations affected by its unilateral coercive measures. Nevertheless, it excluded Cuban nationals from those temporary humanitarian aids."
"Moreover, amidst the pandemic-induced loss of millions of lives worldwide, the criminal blockade imposed against Cuba has heightened to unprecedented levels, causing obstructions and postponements in the delivery of vital medical resources and equipment. These hindrances prove particularly detrimental to the industrialization of Cuban vaccines. Furthermore, even the procurement of medical oxygen from third-party countries and the distribution of pulmonary ventilators faced numerous challenges."
Díaz-Canel stated, "Despite facing adversities, our biopharmaceutical industry and the potential of Cuban scientists permitted us to develop three vaccines and two vaccine candidates against COVID-19 in a record time."
"While the worst of the pandemic struck, the wealthiest Western states and transnational corporations kept essential disease-fighting resources to themselves. In contrast, Cuba sent 58 medical brigades to 42 countries and territories, augmenting over 28,000 Cuban healthcare workers who had already been providing services across 59 nations.
The dignitary emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed global cooperation to be a necessity, not a choice." And he stressed, "Cuba calls for the establishment of a strong global framework to prevent, respond to, and recover from pandemics, under the leadership
of the World Health Organization." "We urge the implementation of inclusive, redistributive, and solidarity-focused policies, with a commitment to ensure that nobody is left behind."
"Our nation offers its technological, scientific, and human resources to aid in preventing, preparing for, and responding to current and future pandemics," declared the President of the Greater Antilles during
their second speech this Wednesday at the United Nations. "We are prepared to establish scientific and healthcare partnerships with interested nations, and we encourage open dialogue on these important issues."