New York, February 6th, 2024.- Cuba reiterated, today, its willingness to continue strengthening the cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) including the development of joint projects, mainly in the health sector, where the experience of the Caribbean nation has been internationally recognized.
Speaking at the first regular session of the UNICEF Executive Board, Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, permanent representative of Cuba to the United Nations, also highlighted Cuba's gratitude to this organization for its outstanding work at a global level. , despite the difficult circumstances and multiple crises that countries face.
He recognized, in the case of the Greater Antilles, that UNICEF has prioritized its response, especially in the areas of health, nutrition, education and child protection.
When addressing the efforts deployed by Cuba for the protection of children, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned the new Policy for Comprehensive Care of Children, Adolescents and Youth, approved in 2023, whose objective is full respect for children. their rights and the recognition of new generations as strategic actors in the country's development.
He recalled that in 2024 the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) will be celebrated, an initiative to provide universal access to vaccines. In this context, he highlighted that Cuba was the first country in the world to protect its child population over two years of age with anti-COVID-19 vaccines, developed by our scientists.
“The immunization program, which Cuba did not stop even in the most difficult stage of COVID-19, will continue to develop despite the tightening of the blockade imposed by the US government, which tightened even in times of the pandemic,” explained Peñalver Portal.
The first regular session of the UNICEF Executive Board was attended by Catherine Russell, executive director of this organization.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations