Paris, 21 September 2026-. Ambassador María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, Permanent Delegate of Cuba to UNESCO, signed the message to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in the book that will be presented to him on the occasion of his upcoming official visit to the Organization’s Headquarters, scheduled for 25 September in Paris. The visit will take place at the invitation of the Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany, and will focus, among other issues, on human dignity, peace and dialogue.
The initiative is a proposal by the Director-General to present the Supreme Pontiff with a collective gift in the form of a book containing messages of peace from the UNESCO Member States.
The Cuban Representation to the International Organization joined this initiative with a message that evokes the thought of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, in the year of his centenary, and reaffirms Cuba’s commitment to peace, sovereignty and human dignity, while also denouncing the cruel and unjust blockade suffered by the noble and supportive Cuban people.
Below is the text of the message from Ambassador María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Cuba to UNESCO:
"(…) we are defenders of peace, we stand on the side of those who defend peace; defenders of the sovereignty of peoples, defenders of the rights of humanity."
Fidel Castro Ruz
Your Holiness:
It is a true privilege to be present during your visit to UNESCO, and to bear witness to an event in which the highest ideals of peace converge.
Building peace in the minds and souls of individuals and peoples is today an imperative necessity, so that we may enjoy, and leave to our children, a world in which dignity is an attribute of all; and in which solidarity, respect and cooperation are the sources of common well-being and progress.
Cuba is a country of peace, which shares and upholds the values of UNESCO, an Organization with which we have historic ties spanning 80 years, grounded in the convergence between its principles and those promoted by the Cuban Revolution since its beginnings.
Our noble and supportive people have suffered for more than six decades under a harsh blockade imposed by the most powerful power on Earth. This collective punishment severely harms an entire people simply for having chosen to be independent and sovereign.
In our heroic resistance, it is a source of comfort to know that we have the support and solidarity of all those who love peace and justice in the world.
María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro
Ambassador
Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Cuba to UNESCO