Cuba denounces the impact of the US blockade on its education system before UNESCO’s Executive Board
Paris, October 13, 2026.- Cuba denounced the impact of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on its national education system, reporting losses amounting to USD 98 million between March 2025 and February 2026 in general and higher education.
Speaking before UNESCO’s Executive Board, Mirta Granda Averhoff, President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO and Cuba’s representative to the Executive Board, stated that fuel shortages and power outages hinder the functioning of educational institutions and affect teaching and learning conditions, particularly for persons with disabilities.
Cuba Reaffirms at UNESCO the Importance of Strengthening the Links Between Culture and Nature
Paris, 12 October 2026 — Mirta Granda Averhoff, President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO and Cuba’s representative to the Organization’s Executive Board, addressed the 225th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board during the consideration of agenda item 4.I.K, concerning the strengthening of links between culture and nature in the Organization’s work.
In her statement, the Cuban representative emphasized that culture and nature are inseparable dimensions of peoples’ identities, historical memory, and ways of life. She also underscored the need to adopt an integrated approach to heritage that recognizes the interrelationships between its cultural, tangible, intangible, and natural dimensions.
Cuba Reaffirms the Role of Culture as a Right and a Pillar of Sustainable Development before the UNESCO Executive Board
Paris, October 12, 2026-. Ambassador Mirta Granda Avehoff, Cuba’s representative to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to the democratization of culture and to its recognition as a right for all people, an essential component of national identity, and a pillar of sustainable development. In her intervention on the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2025), she underscored the importance of strengthening international cooperation, ensuring adequate resources for cultural policies, and protecting cultural diversity in the face of global challenges. She also denounced the effects of the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial blockade and the energy siege on Cuban cultural institutions, while highlighting the country’s determination to preserve and promote its cultural life. The Cuban representative also highlighted the celebrations taking place across the country from October 10 to 20, featuring an extensive programme of artistic, literary, musical, and community activities.
Cuba Expresses Deep Concern over the Devastation of Educational and Cultural Institutions in Palestine at UNESCO’s Executive Board
Paris, 12 October 2026.- During the work of the Programme and External Relations Commission (PX) of UNESCO’s Executive Board, Cuba addressed the situation of educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories, expressing deep concern over the devastation of the Palestinian education system and cultural life, while reaffirming its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Cuba Reaffirms Its Commitment to Multilateralism and Denounces the Impact of the US Blockade before the UNESCO Executive Board
Paris, 9 October 2026.- H.E. Ms. Mirta Granda Averhoff, Representative of Cuba to the UNESCO Executive Board and President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, addressed the plenary of the 225th session of the Organization’s Executive Board. In her statement, she addressed the main challenges facing multilateralism, denounced the multidimensional consequences of the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States against Cuba, and reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to strengthening UNESCO and upholding its mandates.