Geneva, August 28, 2026. Cuban MP Litza Elena González Desdín, who is also a member of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba and president of the Federation of University Students (FEU), held exchanges today with officials from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as part of her work program in this Swiss city.
Litza Elena was received at the organization's headquarters by Ms. Kareen Jabra, Director of the IPU's Programs Division, and Dr. Mauricio Huertas Glauser, Director of the IPU's External Relations and Relations with Member Parliaments Division.
In the productive meeting, which also included Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson, Cuba's Representative to the UN in Geneva, and Aime Triana Sevajanes, Second Secretary of the Cuban diplomatic mission, the MP conveyed greetings from Cuban parliamentarians to the IPU representatives and provided extensive information on the work of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP), including the important role played by young people and women in this supreme body of state power.
To illustrate the ANPP's deeply democratic and inclusive working methods, she referred to the process of drafting, analyzing, and approving the new Code for Children, Adolescents, and Youth last year. She explained that during this process, more than 20,000 Cuban children, adolescents, and young people were directly consulted, and their opinions, experiences, and proposals contributed to enriching and refining the legislative text.
Referring to the priorities of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) and the Council of State, he reported on the intense legislative work being carried out as part of the significant economic and social transformations taking place in the country, in a context of the economic blockade intensifying to extreme levels and the aggression of the United States government.
The IPU leadership acknowledged that Cuba is an international benchmark due to the high level of representation and participation of young people and women in Parliament.
In the current tenth legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power, almost 30% of the 470 Cuban deputies are under 40 years old, double the world average, which does not exceed 15%. Cuba is the seventh country in the world with the highest representation of young people in Parliament.
Likewise, Cuba is the second nation in the world with the most women parliamentarians and one of only five countries that have achieved or surpassed gender parity in Parliament. 57.4% of Cuban parliamentarians are women, a figure significantly higher than the global average of 27%.
The IPU representatives congratulated Cuba on initiatives such as the participatory popular movement "My Neighborhood for the Homeland," describing it as an extremely interesting and valuable experience, as it allows for direct connection with communities, unlike what happens in many parts of the world, where politics is often far removed from the reality of the population.
On behalf of the Cuban people and the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP), Litza Elena expressed her gratitude for the support and solidarity shown to the island by the IPU and numerous parliaments and parliamentarians from many nations during these difficult times.
Both parties agreed to continue exchanges and work together to strengthen and expand the excellent relations between Cuba and the IPU, using as a basis the Memorandum of Understanding signed last year by the National Assembly of People's Power and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
