New York, 14 October 2016. At the UNGA Plenary, within the Joint Debate on Agenda items “New partnership for Africa’s development” and “Decade to roll back Malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa”, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, referred today to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as one of the most praiseworthy initiatives ever produced in the African continent over the last decades, whose purposes reflect the commitment of the political leaders of the region to the continent´s political, economic and social progress.
On the other hand, she acknowledged the persistent challenges on the way to sustainable development and called upon all developed countries to fulfill their Official Development Assistance commitments and to strengthen their support to NEPAD. Thus, she highlighted the way in which Cuba has always defended the historic and moral responsibility of the international community to the African development.
When referring to Cuba´s feelings towards the African continent she stated: “For Cuba, Africa is something very close, an essential part of what we are. It is one of the nutrients of our identity and our culture. That is where the roots of most of Cuba´s population are. The deepest internationalist convictions of the Cuban Revolution have made it possible for our country to have always been alongside with Africa, from the unconditional support for anti-colonial struggles to cooperation projects in numerous areas of the continent´s economic and social development.”
At this forum, she described in figures Cuba’s support in human capital and experience in collaboration to the countries of the continent. Among them she mentioned more than 2,600 African scholars taking university degree courses in Cuba; more than 5,000 Cuban collaborators rendering services in 34 African nations and over 27,000 African patients that have retrieved sight through the Cuban-Venezuelan Program known as “Operation Miracle”.
As part of her statement, she underscored the way in which over 50 years of economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba, African governments and peoples have closed ranks to demand the right of the Cuban people to decide its destiny.
At the end of her statement, she made sure that Cuba will continue to support the African Union and all regional coordination mechanisms in their endeavor to find their own solutions to Africa's problems, and will continue to advocate respect for the sovereignty of that continent and non-interference in internal affairs of African countries. In this context she expressed: “African countries urgently need a special and differentiated treatment, access to markets, stability of commodity prices, foreign debt relief, access to technologies, substantially increased Official Development Assistance and the necessary financial resources without any interference or conditions. Africa cannot continue to wait. Let us act now!” (Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations)