Belize takes this opportunity to confirm its unwavering support for draft resolution A/73/L.3.
We do so, fortified in the universal acceptance, that international law affords no exception for violations of the rule of law.
By consistently and overwhelmingly rejecting the unilateral, economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba and its people as a violation of the Charter and international law, the General Assembly itself affirms the no exception rule.
Madame President,
Belize continues to engage with Cuba in a constructive and mutually beneficial partnership that has its most immediate effect at the individual level.
Ninety Cuban doctors today are working across Belize helping to save lives. These are in addition to those who are treating Belizeans with complex medical cases free of cost at medical facilities in Cuba.
Since 1999, over two hundred Belizeans have matriculated from Cuban universities and are now applying their skills at home. And many others have received training in agriculture, particularly in the field of organic farming, as well as training in disaster management.
We highlight these cases as evidence of the integral role that Cuba plays in Belize and in the wider Caribbean as was stated by Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of the Caribbean Community and that has been echoed by many others in this debate.
These cases are also evidence of what the Foreign Minister of Belize observed during the General Debate as the failure of the blockade to pressure the Cuban government into submission. Cuba, he pointed out, has been able to survive and thrive to a degree that has garnered international recognition; especially for its gains in public health, education, and the arts.
Madame President,
As a fellow small island developing state, desirous of nothing more than a fair equitable global order, with the rule of law as its guarantor, a global order in which all our people have the equal opportunity to achieve the highest level of their potential, Belize stands in solidarity with Cuba