Paris, 20 June. During the debates surrounding the approval of the Rules of Procedure of the Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Cuban Delegation emphasized the importance of ensuring the full participation of all Parties, especially in exceptional circumstances in which meetings can only be held virtually.
On behalf of the Cuban Delegation, Third Secretary Laura Alvarez Delgado expressed Cuba’s deep concern about scenarios where virtual participation becomes the only means of representation for our countries in multilateral forums. Such a situation, she explained, would particularly affect developing countries, Least Developed Countries, and Small Island Developing States, whose structural limitations in connectivity lie at the heart of the existing digital divide.
"This is a genuine and pressing concern in a context of digital inequality that marginalizes entire regions and hinders the full inclusion of vulnerable communities," Alvarez Delgado stated. She further stressed: "In international discussion forums or intergovernmental decision-making processes, such as the one before us, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind."
Cuba's argument was reinforced with a clear denunciation of the consequences of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government against Cuba, which seriously hinders the country's access to basic technological platforms for virtual participation. "To illustrate the particular case of our country, victim of an unfair and prolonged blockade, we can share the difficulties we face in accessing platforms commonly used by other States, such as Zoom, which is regularly used even by this very Organization," the Cuban representative stated.
The Cuban Delegation insisted that beyond technical mitigation measures, it is essential that the governing documents include an explicit obligation to facilitate the effective participation of all Parties, without exclusions resulting from technological barriers or unilateral coercive measures such as the blockade.
The amendment proposed by Cuba was accepted by consensus, with the support of Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, setting a positive precedent in the development of more inclusive rules of procedure for Conferences of the Parties to the Conventions in UNESCO’s Culture Sector.
Cuba welcomes this outcome while reaffirming its commitment to defending equity, inclusion, and diversity—principles that can only be fully realized if structural and political obstacles such as the blockade are eliminated.