The Intersessional Consultations of the Preparatory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FID4) opened on Monday at United Nations Headquarters in New York with the presentation of the first draft of the final document.
Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, expressed his delegation's gratitude to the co-facilitators for their work, while stressing the need to strengthen the text to ensure effective results.
In his speech, he associated himself with the statements made by Iraq, on behalf of the G77 and China, and Palau, on behalf of AOSIS, and emphasized the importance of this process for the Cuban delegation.
"We appreciate the efforts to incorporate the comments made at the third session of the Preparatory Committee. However, additional work needs to be done in certain areas of the text to ensure that commitments made at previous conferences and existing legal frameworks are maintained," the Cuban diplomat said.
He expressed deep concern about the inadequacy of the section on debt, which does not reflect the urgency of the situation. He regretted the exclusion of the AOSIS proposal for an international convention on sovereign debt.
Mr. Soberón Guzmán reiterated that unilateral economic, financial or trade measures were a major obstacle to development and requested that the outcome document address these obstacles more forcefully.
He also raised concerns about the follow-up section, noting the lack of clarity on quantifiable commitments and the overemphasis on national implementation without adequate international accountability mechanisms.
"It is essential that the long-standing principles of the development agenda, such as common but differentiated responsibilities, be maintained," the Ambassador stressed.
He concluded by reaffirming Cuba's commitment to work with all delegations to strengthen the text and ensure that financing for development translates into concrete actions that promote progress and growth in developing countries.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations