New York, October 22, 2018.In her statement on Agenda Item 25: Operational Activities for Development, of the Second Committee of the United Nations, Biana Leyva Regueira, Third Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the international organization, reaffirmed that the United Nations Development System and the entities comprising it, must play an essential role in pursuing national development priorities and in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as a direct expression to promote the sustainable development of the peoples of the South. She also said that this system is going through an ambitious process of reform from which the best results are expected as well as the reaffirmation of the principles guiding the activities of the System in developing countries, namely: its neutrality, its intergovernmental nature and its goal strictly linked to development.
The Cuban diplomat also reflected on the role of North-South cooperation and the need for regular predictable and unrestricted resources for the operational activities of the United Nations, reaffirming they should continue to be the cornerstone of operational activities for development; she also added that there is a need to preserve the funding of the UN and its agencies based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as well as to maintain its distinctions with the Financing for Development mechanisms agreed to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Leyva reaffirmed Cuba's commitment to South-South cooperation, which should not be interpreted as a substitute for commitments regarding Official Development Assistance. She also called on the United Nations System to be more proactive in the elimination of poverty and in the achievement of sustainable development and to respond effectively to national priorities.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations