Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cuba to the United Nations, spoke on Tuesday at the High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, held at the Organization's headquarters.
In his statement, he warned that the promise of a genuine culture of peace is threatened by growing intolerance, interference, wars, and the negative consequences of an unjust and exclusive international order. He denounced the rise of supremacist ideologies, hate speech, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, particularly in developed countries under the guise of irresponsible use of freedom of expression. He also recalled that global military spending reached a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, resources that could be used to combat hunger and poverty.
The Ambassador stressed that the implementation of the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace is now more urgent than ever, and rejected attempts to ignore the diversity of political, social, cultural, and religious systems. He pointed out that there can be no talk of peace while agendas of subversion against countries in the Global South continue, and imposition and coercion continue to be used instead of dialogue and cooperation.
Soberón emphasized that the culture of peace will remain a pipe dream as long as unilateral coercive measures persist, violating the United Nations Charter and international law and hindering the right to development of peoples. In this regard, he denounced the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, the arbitrary inclusion of the country on the U.S. State Department's list of alleged sponsors of terrorism, and the campaign to discredit Cuban medical cooperation, describing them as hostile acts contrary to tolerance and understanding.
The Cuban representative also reiterated Cuba's unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, victims of genocide perpetrated by Israel with the complicity of the United States. He stressed that peace cannot be a distant ideal, but a tangible right for all, and that only multilateralism and respect for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law can guarantee it.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations