New York, October 18, 2023.- Cuba reiterated today at the United Nations that the use of communications technologies must be fully compatible with the principles of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations and respect sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of States and internationally recognized norms on peaceful coexistence among them.
The position of Cuba was highlighted by Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, during his speech, this afternoon, in the debate on "Questions relating to information" of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly.
Peñalver Portal said that as recognized in the framework of the Committee on Information, the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) should be available to all countries, without discrimination.
At the same time, he added that it is practically impossible to advance in the development of ICTs when unilateral coercive measures are applied against illegal countries, such as the unjust and illegal blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.
"The economic damages caused by the blockade of the communications and computer sector during the period from March 2022 to February 2023 are estimated at $41,270,050," he argued.
In this same context, he denounced the use of cyberspace by the United States to subvert the Cuban political and legal system, and the use, in particular, of digital platforms, to unleash pernicious media-communication campaigns in desperate attempts to destabilize Cuba.
The Cuban diplomat also rejected the permanent radio and television aggression of this northern nation for contravening the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and several provisions of the International Telecommunication Union.
"We express, once again, the most energetic protest and condemnation of the U.S. government's attempt to flagrantly violate Cuban sovereignty, with regard to the national competence to regulate the flow of information and the use of the mass media, while rejecting the attempt to manipulate the Internet to carry out illegal programs for political and subversion purposes," he expressed.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations