A message from the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the Jamaican Women
Jamaican sisters:
I hereby would like to express to you my most sincere congratulations on the occasion of the International Women's Day.
We live a decisive moment for the rights of women. The historical and structural inequalities that have given rise to oppression and discrimination continue to grow at levels of concern.
Promoting gender equality, the empowerment of women, the elimination of discrimination against women to achieve their full participation in society under the same conditions as men, are pending tasks of our time and important challenges to meet.
Today Cuba celebrates International Women's Day under conquests and promising realities, which show the real possibility of overcoming discrimination and gender gaps.
A life expectancy at birth above 80 years, a maternal mortality rate that is among the lowest in the world, as well as the fact that we make 78.5 percent of the Cuban health personnel, and 66.8 of the labour force with the highest technical and professional qualifications, are just some of Cuba's achievements in terms of empowerment and vindication of its women.
Likewise, 53.2 percent of the seats in the Parliament are held by women. This makes Cuba the second country in the world with the highest female representation in the legislature.
Today is a good day to celebrate our progress, but also to reflect on the many challenges we still have to overcome. Our maxim should be to move forward without neglecting remaining and future challenges.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Inés Fors Fernández
Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in Jamaica