Paris, 3 March 2026. — The Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO held a working exchange with Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director of the Division for Digital Inclusion, Policies and Digital Transformation of the Communication and Information Sector of the Organization. During the meeting, Laura Alvarez Delgado, Third Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO, outlined the complex situation facing the country as a result of the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States, and its direct impact on the development of the communication and information sector.
In particular, she denounced the effects of the executive order signed on 29 January by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, which reinforces the energy blockade against the Island by hindering its access to fuel, with severe consequences for connectivity, technological infrastructure and the functioning of essential services related to information and communication. The diplomat described these measures as coercive in nature, with effects amounting to collective punishment against the Cuban population, and warned about the persistence of hostile rhetoric and threats that further aggravate the pressure scenario against the country.
The exchange also addressed Cuba’s active contribution to UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector. In particular, Cuba’s status as a Member State of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and its participation in the Information for All Programme (IFAP) were highlighted, as well as its commitment to promoting equitable access to information and strengthening capacities in the digital field.
Likewise, discussions covered Cuba’s contribution to the monitoring and implementation of Sustainable Development Goal indicator 16.10.2, coordinated by UNESCO, concerning public access to information. In this regard, the Cuban side informed about the recent entry into force in the country of the Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information, as part of national efforts to strengthen the normative and institutional framework in this area.
The meeting made it possible to exchange on the Sector’s priorities regarding digital inclusion, platform governance and digital transformation, as well as to identify areas of cooperation for the benefit of developing countries. It also provided an opportunity to reiterate Cuba’s commitment to multilateralism, international cooperation and the promotion of an inclusive digital environment, in an adverse context marked by unilateral coercive measures imposed by the Government of the United States.