Mr. Chairman,
My delegation endorses the statement by El Salvador on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and by Ecuador on behalf of the Group of 77 plus China.
Mr. Chairman,
Nearly 90% of today’s war victims are civilians, most of them women, senior citizens, girls and boys. They also represent more than the 75% of refugees and people displaced by conflicts.
One in three women experiences physical and sexual violence; 90% of the 2.5 millions of victims of trafficking in persons are women. Additionally, women’s unemployment rates are higher and they only receive an average of 60 to 75% of men salaries for work of equal value.
Millions of women do not enjoy equal rights in terms of inheritance and property, and their representation in parliaments worldwide only represents the 22%.
Women represent 70% of the world’s 2,700 million poor and two thirds of the nearly 800 million of illiterate adults. More than 300,000 die every year from preventable complications during childbirth, 99% of them in countries of the South.
These figures show that forty years after the First World Conference on Women and twenty years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the achievements in their implementation are fragile and insufficient.
The achievement of a new fair and equitable international order that eradicates poverty and hunger, puts an end to armed conflicts, ensures the value of human beings above capital and preserves the environment, is an indispensable requirement to move towards the full realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba met the goals established by the Millennium Development Goals and is working hard in the process of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Cuba was the first country to sign and the second to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Cuban women have access to public spheres on equal conditions as men, and we have a Domestic Plan of Action to follow up the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women.
In our country, laws and other legal provisions have been passed that guarantee equality of rights, opportunities and possibilities for men and women. Progress is made in the reconceptualization of the role of women in society and in the family, as well as in the elimination of traditional sexual stereotypes.
Cuban women earn same salary as men for work of equal value and they are entitled to a full or partial disability pension, pension in case of widowhood, they have the right to land, to receive bank credits, as well as to paid maternity leave and consequent benefits, which not only benefits working women before childbirth and up to one year after childbirth, but also offers the father the opportunity to be entitled to the same benefits, after agreement between the couple, once the exclusive breastfeeding period has expired. This right, with the new modifications that have been approved, is extended to the grandmothers and grandfathers. In addition, the system of Kindergartens and semi-boarding schools is a support for the insertion of women in the economic life.
Employment is a fundamental link of Social Security in Cuba, pensions are linked to it and therefore, the first social protection for Cuban men and women is to have a decent job guaranteed.
Universal and free education, a right of all people, is a strategic foundation for promoting women's participation and empowerment in all respects, and making significant progress in eradicating prejudice, exclusion and all forms of discrimination and violence in private and public spaces including in workplaces.
The rate of economic activity of women in Cuba is 57.3%; women currently represent 48 % out of all the people employed in the civil state sector and 47.2% is holding senior managerial positions. Policies are applied for access to high-quality jobs through education and training, ensuring that more than 50% of positions are held by women and that they hold positions that require a university qualification. Regarding the jobs held in the economic sector, 85% of women are technicians and professionals.
Sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to abortion and to free and responsible choice on fertility, are guaranteed and part of health services. The measures taken have never been to the detriment of the right of women to decide on their sexual and reproductive health, number and spacing of children. Women and men enjoy specialized services required for family planning. We continue working to ensure that the country has access to high-quality contraceptives.
Mr. Chairman,
The Cuban Government reiterates its determination to continue developing its social model based on justice, equality and solidarity, in strict adherence to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and expresses its commitment to the strict compliance with international and regional conventions and agreements in favor of women.
It is the view of my delegation that eliminating violence against women and girls requires the elimination of all unilateral coercive measures.
In this regard, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba is an obstacle to the full development of the country and the advancement of women; it is also a form of direct and indirect violence affecting and hampering Cuban women’s enjoyment of fundamental rights, including their right to development.
Allow me to conclude by reaffirming the words of our President at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality when he said: "In order to move towards full gender equality and women’s empowerment, it is imperative, above all, to have a fair and just international order ensuring the eradication of poverty and hunger, the end of armed conflicts, the value of human beings above capital and the preservation of the environment."
Thank you very much.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.