United Nations, New York, October 13, 2026.- Cuba reaffirmed the need for the budget of the United Nations to ensure the effective implementation of the mandates of the Organization, preserve the balance between its three fundamental pillars and ensure adequate resources for the promotion of development. This was said by Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, in the framework of the exam of the items related to programme planning and the proposed programme budget for 2027.
The Cuban diplomat stressed that the pursuit of greater efficiency in UN resource management should not be limited to budgetary cuts, but should focus on securing the comprehensive fulfillment of the purposes and mandates of the Organization. In this context, he highlighted the importance of preserving a balanced distribution of resources among the pillars of peace and security, development and human rights, especially, in view of the transformations envisaged under the ONU80 Initiative.
Soberón Guzmán raised special concern over the setbacks in financing development within the UN system and their repercussions for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although he welcomed the proposal to strengthen the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation, he warned of the trend to curtail the substantive capacities of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the regional commissions, whose work becomes essential to address the needs and priorities of developing countries.
Regarding the programme planning, the Permanent Representative emphasized the central role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) as the body responsible for considering the appropriate formulation of United Nations programmes, in accordance with intergovernmental agreements. He regretted that, during its sixty-sixth session, the Committee had been unable to make recommendations on any of the 28 programmes reviewed and therefore urged that cooperation within the Committee should be restored and that any weakening of its mandate should be avoided.
He also emphasized the importance of substantive consideration by the Fifth Committee of the programmes and subprogrammes included in the proposed budget for 2027, especially those under mandates established or promoted by that body. He also reiterated Cuba’s determination to support an adequate allocation of resources to the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management in order to ensure the necessary support for multilateral meetings and processes of particular relevance to countries of the South.
Finally, Ambassador Soberón Guzmán reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to participate constructively in budget negotiations, consistent with the principles of multilateralism and the need to preserve the intergovernmental character of UN decisions. The Cuban delegation thus reiterated its support for an Organization endowed with the resources and capacities needed to carry out its mandates effectively and respond to the priorities of all its Member States, in particular developing countries.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations