Mr. President,
We thank the delegations of Mexico and New Zealand for the presentation of draft resolution L.4.
We reaffirm Cuba’s commitment to the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We support the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.
The Cuban State grants the highest priority to the comprehensive development, social inclusion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, guided by the principle of leaving no one behind.
The Constitution of the Republic prohibits discrimination on the grounds of disability. Violations of the principle of equality are sanctioned by law.
We have a National Commission for the follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which benefits from the active participation of civil society.
These efforts are seriously hindered by the suffocating economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba. This blockade has been further intensified in recent months through increasingly ruthless and aggressive measures, including a cruel and inhumane energy siege, which has a devastating impact on the lives of persons with disabilities and violates their human rights.
The figures speak for themselves; it is enough to mention two examples: 9 minutes of the blockade cost Cuba 280,000 US dollars, equivalent to the cost of the electric and conventional wheelchairs required to meet the needs of the country’s special education system.
10 minutes of the blockade are equivalent to the 143,000 US dollars needed to cover the demand for hearing aids for Cuban children and adolescents with disabilities enrolled in special education.
Despite these enormous obstacles, we will never cease our efforts to guarantee the human rights of persons with disabilities.
Cuba supports draft resolution L.4 and hopes that it can be adopted by consensus.
Thank you.