New York, October 12, 2017.During his statement at the Debate on item 70 a): “Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, of the Third Committee of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Counsellor Alejandro Castillo Santana, Representative of Cuba, recalled that historically the indigenous peoples have been subjected to serious violations of their rights, to brutal practices of discrimination, to the plundering of their resources and to genocide, which has been recognized in the Report of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
He pointed out that although progress has been made in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in terms of a broader understanding of this instrument at the international level; ten years after its adoption, many indigenous communities worldwide still face situations of violence, racism, marginalization, major economic and social disadvantages, extreme poverty and the dispossession of their lands.
Castillo Santana claimed that all cultures have the right to preserve traditional practices inherent in their identity, and on this regard, reiterated Cuba's support for the right of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to defend and protect coca leaf chewing as a tradition of their original communities. He added that Bolivia is an example for the world in the promotion and protection of the rights of its native communities, being its Constitution one of the most comprehensive documents on the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to self-determination and self-government, which has been recognized by the United Nations, through the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The Cuban diplomat concluded by ratifying the support of the island for the just claims of the indigenous peoples, and by urging the international community to show greater political will to promote concrete actions allowing their effective materialization, as well as the enjoyment by these communities of all economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations