On October 31, Barbados hosted the XVI Latin American and Caribbean Ministerial Forum on Development, which was in session until November 1, with the presence of representatives from some 20 countries, including Cuba.
The Cuban delegation was made up of Mildrey Granadillo, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP), Yamile Berra, First Deputy President of the Central Bank of Cuba and Yanet Stable Cárdenas, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in Barbados.
The First Deputy Minister was in charge of the speech on behalf of our country and in her speech she emphasized that Cuba has defined policies for the development of our society. There are comprehensive social programs aimed at the development of sectors such as education and teaching, health, sports, culture, transportation, housing and other areas of social life. The Cuban State budget allocates a considerable sum every year to the development of these social programs, among others for social prevention, protection of women, children, adolescents and young people and the elderly.
She said that we have programs for the protection against racism and racial discrimination, for the protection and social assistance to vulnerable families, among others, also of a social nature. In his speech, he explained that the country is making a great effort to advance in economic and social development, despite the effects caused by the genocidal blockade imposed by the US on Cuba for more than six decades, which undoubtedly has a direct impact on economic and social development and on the standard of living of Cuban citizens.
The conference not only sought to answer the question of the resilience of small states, but also to go beyond theory to what this issue really means for the average human being. We are living in a world that is totally fragmented and plagued by conflict, the call from Barbados at this event, but also from the Caribbean as a whole and from Latin America about the world we live in is that we need to focus not on conflict and confrontation, but on finding ways to cooperate and collaborate. The challenge of climate change, probably the greatest threat to many of the people in this part of the world, is something that we are all destined to solve only if we can work together.