Madam President,
Cuba, which actively participated in the process of adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, similarly supported the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly at its seventy-first and seventy-third sessions concerning the proclamation of 2019 as the "International Year of Indigenous Languages".
Cuban institutions, both governmental and civil society, have conducted several national activities and actions to keep up this important effort.
Late last year, Havana hosted the Third International Colloquium Studies on the Original Cultures of the Americas, which brought together representatives of Latin American indigenous communities and scholars from our region and elsewhere in the world. As part of the actions carried out in that forum to support the United Nations decision that today brings us here together, the "Havana Declaration on Indigenous Languages" was adopted.
Madam President,
Cuba respects the enormous diversity of indigenous languages that are part of the self-identity and culture of millions of speakers around the world and ratifies the right of indigenous peoples to exist based on their own worldviews and background, to speak their own languages and to live in accord with their self-determination.
We demand respect for the principle of prior and informed consultation with authorities of the indigenous peoples on all matters pertaining to their political, economic, social and cultural life, including the linguistic, cultural and educational policies designed by States. At the same time, we confirm the important role that artistic and literary expressions play in safeguarding indigenous languages.
We call for the implementation by States in effective consultation with indigenous peoples, of the linguistic, cultural and educational rights contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Madam President,
As it has done since the adoption in 2017 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Cuba will continue to support the just claims of these peoples for the full enjoyment of their traditional rights, including the right to use their own language, preserve their culture and defend their identity.
Thank you very much.