Mr. President,
The enjoyment of the human right to health must always be respected. Nothing should jeopardize the ability of States to guarantee this right to their populations.
Nor is it acceptable to obstruct international cooperation in the field of health.
Yet, the world is witnessing a worrying and unacceptable erosion of these fundamental principles. The case of Cuba is a clear example.
The United States has imposed a total energy blockade on our country which, compounded by the cumulative effects of more than 60 years of the economic blockade, has caused a substantial deterioration in the outstanding health indicators historically achieved by Cuba.
As the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights warned just a few moments ago, as a consequence of the blockade, children are dying in Cuba due to the lack of medicines and medical equipment.
The infant mortality rate has doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 live births. The monitoring of 35,000 pregnant women is facing recurrent disruptions. More than 100,000 surgical procedures, including 12,000 pediatric surgeries, are currently backlogged.
Silence in the face of these atrocities makes the world a less safe place. We will continue to denounce these genocidal acts, which violate the Cuban people's right to health.
We call upon the Human Rights Council to also express its rejection of these actions and to firmly uphold the human right to health.
Thank you.