Cubaminrex, New York, 5 February 2020. Last Monday, the Member States of the Executive Board of the United Nations Program for Development, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS) adopted by consensus the UNDP Country Programme for Cuba.
Cuban Ambassador Oscar León González, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations highlighted the significance of the Executive Board in strengthening cooperation for sustainable development and the welfare of our peoples.
In response to statements by the delegation of the United States of America, the Cuban diplomat condemned the US attempts to politicize the work of the Executive Board and to particularly hinder the adoption of the Country Programme for Cuba (2020-2024). He stated that such behavior was a new maneuver in the attempts of the Government of the United States to thwart international cooperation with Cuba. He described the US attitude as actions that harm the working practices and methods of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board and a deplorable attempt to divert the attention from what should be the essence of the discussions: achieving effective development assistance.
He denounced that the multimillion dollar economic damage accrued for nearly 60 years of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States against Cuba is the main obstacle to Cuba´s economic and social development, as well as to the implementation of the National Economic Development Plan and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UNDP Country Programme for Cuba is the result of a broad participatory process under the leadership of the national authorities and in close coordination with the UNDP Resident Representative in our country, and the Resident Coordinator. National institutions, including representatives of the civil society, were actively engaged in its preparation.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations