Geneva, 5 October. At Cuba’s initiative, the Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution that condemns mercenary activities in any country and considers the use, recruitment, financing, arming and training of mercenaries to be a violation of the UN Charter.
Presenting the proposal to the Council, Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson emphasized that the initiative is a further demonstration of Cuba’s firm commitment to the global fight against the phenomenon of mercenarism.
The Cuban resolution alerts to and calls for a thorough assessment of the ways in which technological advances and digital infrastructures are transforming the methods used for the recruitment, organization, financing, training and activities of mercenaries. There is currently a growing use of digital technologies and social media to organize mercenaries.
The text proposed by Cuba expresses concern about the growing involvement of private military and security companies in conflicts, which has significant security and human rights implications.
In his statement to the Council, Ambassador Benítez Verson reaffirmed Cuba’s support for the prompt adoption of a robust international convention for the effective regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies.
He stressed that the absence of such an instrument creates a dangerous and significant legal vacuum, as many of these entities become covertly involved in mercenary activities. Cuba has been a victim of such actions on multiple occasions.
The resolution adopted also calls on States that have not yet done so to accede to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. This Convention, which entered into force in 2001, was ratified by Cuba in 2002.
Cuba maintains a firm and consistent position against mercenarism in all its forms, as it is a practice contrary to the UN Charter that threatens international peace and security, the self-determination of peoples, and the full enjoyment of human rights.