Dear President, Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza,
Dear Ministers, Heads of Delegations,
Delegates,
I wish to commend the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for leading the work of the Non-Aligned Movement at this crucial time for the planet.
Mr. President and dear Ministers,
It is time to pay off the historical debt to the State of Palestine and to restore the inalienable rights of its people, violated by Israel for more than half a century of occupation, collective punishment, destruction and confiscation of land and property, forced displacement and colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip for almost a decade, which plunges more than two million Palestinians into a deep socio-economic and humanitarian crisis, must be stopped immediately.
Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Distinguished Representatives of the Caribbean Nations,
Gentlemen of the General Secretariat,
Dear Ministers and Heads of Delegations, representatives of agencies of the United Nations System, delegates and guests,
We are deeply grateful for the convening of this meeting, at such a difficult time for the countries affected by the destructive hurricane Irma.
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
Firstly, Cuba endorses the statement by the Representative of El Salvador on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Allow me to join in the expressions of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean, expressed this morning by several colleagues, for the devastating consequences of the passage of Hurricane Irma in this vulnerable region.
Mr. Chairman,
Eighteen years after the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace, Cuba reaffirms its full validity and is grateful for the convening of this High-Level Forum, which allows to reflect on how much is yet to be done to achieve and enjoy a true culture of peace, fostering understanding among peoples and tolerance of differences. Unfortunately, this remains an outstanding issue for the international community and is, today more than ever, a moral imperative
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
Dear UNDP executives,
Allow me to take this opportunity, and in this case my first statement at this second regular session, to welcome Mr. Achim Steiner, as the new Administrator of UNDP, to wish him success and to offer him our support in his new work, directed, as we hope, at strengthening operational activities for development, based on their fundamental principles and characteristics, as well as on the mandates of the QCPR.
Mr. Chairman,
The Cuban delegation thanks you for holding this meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country and we take this opportunity to reiterate once again our full support for your efforts.
As members of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, we are working for said Committee to address, in a timely manner, all issues concerning the relations among the Organization, the Member States and the Host Country.
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Chairman,
We reiterate our firm, transparent and consistent position in favor of the banning and total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Cuba reiterates its profound concern about the existence of nuclear weapons and the threat they pose to the survival of the human species.
Mr. Chairman,
Our delegation is grateful to you for convening this meeting in order to discuss the Annual Report of the Security Council to the General Assembly, for the period from 1 August 2015 to 31 December 2016, contained in document A/71/2.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba regrets that the report presented is, as in previous years, merely a descriptive account of meetings, activities and decisions of the Council, when the vast majority of the United Nations Member States have reiterated the need to present an exhaustive and analytical annual report on the work of this body.
We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this important Dialogue.
Since 1999, there are working platforms in Cuba for the conservation of biodiversity, which shows the political will and interest of the State to protect biodiversity for our economic development. However, the necessary resources are not always available in order to identify the existing needs and problems that allow defining the strands of work. This is where the need for greater international cooperation begins.
