Mr. President,
Cuba reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. We call upon all States to adhere to its postulates.
Regrettably, more than 30 years after the adoption of this significant document, its urgent call for a balanced, fair, equitable and equal treatment of all human rights is still far from being achieved.
Confrontation, double standards, and the manipulation of human rights for political and interventionist purposes against certain countries of the South prevail.
Some countries of the North insist on imposing their values and models as the only acceptable approach in the treatment of human rights.
In doing so, they violate what has been agreed upon by this very Council regarding the existence of different models of democracy and the need to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, the right to self-determination, national and regional particularities, as well as diverse historical, cultural, and religious heritages.
Mr. President,
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action called on States to refrain from adopting unilateral coercive measures that contravene International Law and the United Nations Charter. It emphasized that food must not be used as an instrument of political pressure.
The criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government against Cuba is a flagrant violation of what was agreed upon in Vienna.
This hostile policy also qualifies as an act of genocide against the Cuban people, in accordance with subparagraphs (b) and (c) of Article 2 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The blockade has been reinforced to unprecedented levels with Cuba's inclusion on the arbitrary and unilateral list of States allegedly sponsoring terrorism.
It is also criminal and shameful, as well as illegal, for Israel to use famine as a weapon of war against the Palestinian people. The Israeli government continues to act with total impunity, since it has the support of the United States and the complicit silence of other countries.
This Council bears the responsibility to take action in response to these unacceptable situations.
We must remain true to both the spirit and the letter of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Objectivity, non-selectivity, respectful dialogue, and constructive cooperation —free from interference— must be our guiding principles in the treatment to all human rights.
Thank you.