Nueva York, 11 de mayo de 2023.- Permanente Representative of Cuba to United Nations, Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, attended the UN High Level Meeting on Middle-Income Countries held this Thursday afternoon at UN Headquarters.
During his statement, Peñalver Portal explained that access to external financing, special and differential treatment in trade matters and the promotion of international cooperation and the different financing mechanisms for development, in order to support national efforts towards sustainable development, are crucial for middle-income countries.
Likewise, and while he recognized the contribution of international cooperation to development receive from more developed counterparts, the Cuban Permanent Representative urged developing partners to work on indicators best reflecting the reality of middle-income countries, in particular the specific problems of the Caribbean States, whereas the current criteria referring to the average income, especially the per capita income criterion, do not capture the impact of the multidimensionality of poverty and inequality.
"Faced with the serious problem of unsustainable debt, our countries urgently need effective alternatives, which, taking into account the vulnerabilities and specific needs of the countries, provide a comprehensive, sustainable and lasting solution to the issues of external indebtedness, whose excessive amount hinders the countries’ efforts to focus on their development, added the Cuban Ambassador.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to United Nations