New York, August 24, 2026. – Cuba reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the mandate of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and to the implementation of the 2026-2030 Country Programme, during the Second Regular Session of the PNUD/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Daylenis Moreno Guerra, highlighted the national advances in sexual and reproductive rights and the protection of women, girls and adolescents.
The Cuban diplomat warned that preserving those advances demands additional efforts in the face of the multidimensional war of the United States against Cuba, which combines economic asphyxiation, energy siege and threats of military aggression. She denounced that the blockade hinders basic services, including healthcare, with serious consequences on children, adolescents and women.
Moreno Guerra warned that over 34 thousand pregnant women have no access to ultrasound scans, while the infant mortality rate has doubled and currently surpasses 9.8 for 1000 born alive. “The decline in social and health indicators confirms that the blockade exists and kills”, she underscored.
She also denounced the impact of the blockade on international cooperation: more than 7000 containers, including donations from UN agencies, remain stranded in ports of the Caribbean, while other 170 containers with essential goods have arrived in Cuba, but have not been distributed due to the lack of fuel.
The Deputy Permanent Representative stressed that 126 kits of sexual and reproductive sanitary supplies, 20 beds and cabinets for ob-gyn wards, more than one million condoms and vital medicines for the attention of childbirth and its complications, all donated by UNFPA, are awaiting the availability of fleet. This is a clear example of the impact of such a brutal policy.
The Cuban diplomat referred to the recent visit of the UNFPA Regional Director, which Cuba highly praised, and which she considered a demonstration of UNFPA’s willingness to continue accompanying Cuba through the current circumstances.
After reiterating Cuba’s support for the UNFPA mandate, she called for guaranteeing sufficient, foreseeable and sustainable resources for its complete fulfillment. In addition, she expressed that Cuba will follow up closely on the proposals of reforms arising from UN80 and reiterated that any decision on that topic belongs exclusively to the member states and should be based on objective evidence and thorough analysis of their implications.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations