Paris, 18 September 2026. – During the extended plenary meeting of the UNESCO Group of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), held in the presence of the Director-General of the Organization, Professor Khaled El-Enany, Ambassador María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, Permanent Delegate of Cuba to UNESCO, highlighted the need for the Organization to strengthen its attention to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), from a cross-cutting perspective that takes into account the multiple dimensions of their vulnerabilities and ensures their effective participation in defining the priorities and decisions that concern them.
Speaking during the proceedings of the UNESCO SIDS Group, the Cuban representative acknowledged the progress achieved by the Organization, particularly the UNESCO Operational Strategy for SIDS 2023–2029, and stressed that attention to these countries should not be limited to the celebration of dedicated days, dialogues or specific activities, but should translate into institutional, technical and financial capacities that make it possible to turn commitments into concrete results.
The Ambassador also highlighted impactful cooperation experiences for the Caribbean, such as the Transcultura programme, which benefited more than 2,700 young artists, creators and cultural professionals from 17 Caribbean countries, as well as the recent World Heritage Strategy for SIDS 2026–2034.
In her intervention, Cuba drew particular attention to the additional dimension represented for the country by the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States. She noted that this policy aggravates the vulnerabilities inherent to the condition of a Small Island Developing State and severely limits access to essential resources, technologies, financing and supplies.
“The energy situation is particularly serious today,” the Ambassador stated, explaining that restrictions on access to fuel have direct repercussions on education, health, culture, science, communications and the daily life of the Cuban population, precisely in areas linked to UNESCO’s mandate.
The Cuban representative stressed that this reality should also be a matter of concern for SIDS as a whole, considering that when the inherent vulnerability of a Small Island Developing State is compounded by external measures that impede access to essential resources, a situation of cumulative vulnerability arises.
Cuba reaffirmed its readiness to continue sharing cooperation, knowledge and capacities with the countries of the Caribbean and other SIDS, while calling on UNESCO to strengthen a response based on solidarity, effective participation, capacity-building and a comprehensive understanding of the vulnerabilities faced by these countries.