New York, 12 February 2020. South-South cooperation has proven to be an effective tool for developing countries and for redesigning the architecture of international cooperation. It represents the consolidation of partnerships among our nations and the establishment of the guidelines to identify the authentic needs of developing countries. It is also a complement to the commitments of developed countries to developing countries in building a sustainable society at the global, regional and national levels. This was expressed by Juan Miguel Gonzalez Peña, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.
He highlighted Cuba´s resolution to continue its traditional vocation of providing supportive assistance to the peoples who need it most, without conditions whatsoever and with absolute respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of each nation. He stated that the modest contributions by Cuba and its cooperation programs in more than 150 countries are evidence of the enormous potentialities of the South-South cooperation.
In his statement at the Interactive Dialogue: "Targeting Hunger": South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Transforming Agriculture, of the United Nations Second Committee, the Cuban diplomat illustrated that despite the results achieved along these 40 years, challenges remain due to structural problems in the countries of the South, namely poverty and extreme hunger, poor health conditions, vulnerabilities to natural disasters and high indebtedness.
He appealed to greater responsibility from everyone and called on developed countries to fulfill the international commitments agreed upon in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and in the area of Official Development Assistance. He additionally demanded to strengthen multilateralism, achieve greater involvement of the United Nations System and an integrated and harmonious action by the entire international community so that developing countries can meet the goal of zero hunger set out in the 2030 Agenda.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations