New York, 16 June 2026. - This Tuesday, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the comprehensive protection of children at the Annual session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of preserving and strengthening this agency’s mandate in an increasingly complex international context.
In his speech, the Cuban diplomat acknowledged the work of UNICEF in promoting and defending children’s rights globally, while stressing the need to ensure adequate, flexible and predictable funding so that the agency can effectively fulfill its mandate in the face of growing challenges such as armed conflict, climate crisis, hunger, poverty, and inequality.
Ambassador Soberón highlighted the results of cooperation between UNICEF and Cuba, which has contributed to strengthening essential services for child protection, including obstetrics and neonatology programs, expansion of children’s homes, socio-educational inclusion initiatives, as well as projects related to access to water, sanitation, hygiene and climate resilience.
He also thanked UNICEF for the sustained support of the Cuban people and stressed that the presence of the organization in the country has been fundamental to face multiple challenges. The Cuban diplomat noted that this work is taking place amid the severe effects of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US government, intensified by the energy siege and the application of additional coercive measures that directly affect the living conditions of the population, particularly boys and girls.
During his statement, Cuba’s Permanent Representative warned about the serious humanitarian consequences of this policy. He indicated that the infant mortality rate in Cuba increased from 4.0 per thousand live births in 2018 to 9.2 in 2025, while survival of children with cancer has been significantly reduced due to drug shortages. Likewise, he denounced that more than 12,000 Cuban children remain on waiting lists for surgical interventions due to the lack of medical supplies and the conditions resulting from prolonged power outages.
Ambassador Soberón reaffirmed that, despite the enormous difficulties imposed by the economic war against Cuba, the Cuban State will continue to give high priority to the protection and welfare of children. In this effort, he reiterated the importance of cooperation with UNICEF and the United Nations Development System to continue to guarantee the rights of Cuban children and adolescents and move towards a more just, inclusive and sustainable future for all.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations