Mr. President,
Cuba regrets that, once again, this Council is devoting its precious time and significant financial and human resources to an interventionist and futile exercise against Eritrea, stemming from a selective, politicised, and unbalanced mechanism imposed since 2012.
The resolution mandating this interactive dialogue lacks consensus and has not been accepted by the country concerned. Cuba will continue to oppose any mechanism that undermines the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
The only effective way to promote human rights in all countries is through dialogue and constructive cooperation, based on impartiality, mutual respect and non-interference, without manipulation or double standards.
It is time for this Council to set aside the obsolete, ineffective, and interventionist punitive practices against countries of the South, as in the case of Eritrea, and prioritize cooperation and respectful dialogue instead.
The first step towards this new approach in the case of Eritrea should be to cease unilateral coercive measures applied against that country, to the detriment of the human rights of its people.
Thank you.