New York, 3 September 2026.- Cuba reiterated at the UN that the UN80 initiative should reinforce multilateralism, preserve the sovereign equality of the states and ensure that the organization have sufficient and predictable resources to fulfill the mandates agreed upon by its Member States.
During the briefing on the UN80 initiative, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, recognized the progress made, including the adoption of resolution 80/251. However, he warned that the key issue continues to be whether the measures proposed address the structural cause that gave rise to this process: the serious liquidity crisis facing the organization.
Soberón Guzmán underscored that Member States are responsible for ensuring the resources needed for the functioning of the United Nations and stressed that those primarily responsible for the current liquidity crisis must fully meet their financial obligations. Furthermore, he asked for greater clarity on how the efficiency and streamlining measures will guarantee the indispensable resources to fulfill all the mandates.
On the review of mandates, the Cuban representative reaffirmed that decisions are solely the responsibility of Member States and cautioned that they cannot be evaluated only from the perspective of financial savings or administrative efficiency. Any renewal, adaptation, merger or withdrawal must respond to objective criteria agreed by intergovernmental bodies and not become an automatic mechanism for imposing revision or withdrawal clauses.
In view of the next stage of UN80, the Cuban diplomat called for greater clarity on the next steps, the decisions that will rest with member states and the role of the General Assembly, while reiterating that the process should be led by Member States, with transparency and strict respect for the competencies of intergovernmental bodies, and reaffirmed its constructive engagement in a reform that strengthens - rather than weakens - multilateralism and the sovereign equality of states.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.