New York, October 29, 2018.Cuba reiterated its willingness to cooperate with all United Nations human rights bodies and institutions that are universally applicable and non-discriminatory in nature and reaffirmed its willingness for dialogue, based on mutual respect, acceptance of sovereign equality and recognition of the right of each people to choose their political system and institutions in the statement by Alejandro González Behmaras, Second Secretary at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the debate on Agenda Item 74. Promotion and protection of human rights, a) Human rights instruments. d) Comprehensive implementation and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, of the UN Third Committee.
The diplomat also reaffirmed the full validity of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, while emphasizing the importance of ensuring that in carrying out their work, treaty bodies do not create new legal obligations that are not laid down in the international standard to which the State is a party.
He added that these bodies should leave no room for manipulation and politicization, nor should their leaders apply regulations in a subjective, biased, selective and manipulated manner. One of the ways to avoid this is the equitable and genuinely diverse geographical representation of its members.
The Cuban representative emphasized the principles endorsed by the Declaration and Program of Action, such as that democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural regime, and on their full involvement in all aspects of life. He also referred to premises such as the reaffirmation of the right to development as a fundamental, universal and inalienable right and the commitment of all States to fulfill their obligations in promoting universal respect, and in observing and protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, other human rights instruments and international law.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations