Mr. President,
Cuba supports draft resolution L.28/Rev.1.
Only four years remain until the deadline set for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the outlook is discouraging.
At the current pace, none of the 17 SDGs will be achieved, and more than half of the 169 agreed targets will not be met.
The commitment to “leave no one behind” is in serious jeopardy.
The failure to implement the 2030 Agenda is, in practical terms, a devastating blow to the legitimate aspirations of peoples of the Global South to fully realize their human rights.
As recognized in the draft resolution, the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
There can be no full realization of human rights without sustainable development, nor sustainable development without the full exercise of economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights, including the right to development.
Unilateral coercive measures, such as the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States against Cuba, constitute a significant obstacle to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Their impact is indisputable. The blockade causes damage to the Cuban economy exceeding seven billion dollars annually.
The Human Rights Council cannot ignore the devastating impact of such unilateral coercive policies on the capacity of developing countries to fulfil their commitments in the areas of human rights and development.
Thank you.