Despite the blockade, Cuba prioritizes the promotion of the well-being and protection of its children.

New York, 11 June 2019. "Despite the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, now tightened with the application of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, the island continues to make progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and most importantly  in the protection of the rights of our children and adolescents," said Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, Deputy Permanent Representative and  Chargé d'affaires a.i. of Cuba to the United Nations, at the annual session of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)Executive Board.

Rodríguez Abascal also made reference to the rights of children and adolescents enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic approved last 10 April 2019.

The Cuban representative took the opportunity to underline the positive results of the UNICEF Programme in her country, whose objectives are in accordance with Cuba's National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030. This work, she added, included effective assistance provided to the island in the aftermath of a tornado that hit Havana last 27 January.

She also reaffirmed her country's support for the work of UNICEF, a UN agency committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the promotion of the well-being of the world's children, particularly those still living in extreme poverty.

Permanent Mission to the United Nations