Mr. Chairman,
Significant progress has been made since the Beijing Conference: the number of girls in school has increased, as well as the number of paid working women and those who are elected to carry out public responsibilities and leadership roles. Women have acquired broader rights of access to employment, property and inheritance by marrying and divorcing on the same terms as men. These advances demonstrate that it is possible to reduce gender inequalities through public action.
While recognizing the importance of these achievements, it cannot yet be argued that at a global level men and women enjoy equal rights.
Women continue to be under-represented at all levels of political decision-making. As of 1 January 2017, only 7.2 per cent of Heads of State, 5.7 per cent of Heads of Government and 23.3 per cent of parliamentarians were women.
Women make up 70% of the 2.7 billion poor people across the world and two thirds of the nearly 800 million illiterate adults. More than 300,000 die every year from preventable complications during childbirth, 99% of them in countries of the South.
Let there be a just and equitable international order that eradicates poverty and hunger, puts an end to warlike conflicts, privileges human beings over capital and preserves the environment. This will ensure progress towards full gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba is proud to show tangible results in the advancement and empowerment of women and girls. We were the first country to sign and the second to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Cuban women receive same salary as men for work of equal value and we are entitled to a total or partial disability pension, a widow's pension, land, bank loans, paid maternity leave and related allowances, which benefits the female worker prior to delivery and up to the time when the baby turns one year of age.
The presence of women in the National Assembly of People's Power, the Cuban Parliament, represents 53.22%. This figure places Cuba as the second parliament in the world with the largest female participation.
Universal and free education ensures the involvement and empowerment of women in every respect and constitutes a pillar in eradicating prejudices, exclusions and all types of discrimination and violence in private and public spaces, including workplaces.
Sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to abortion and to make free and responsible decisions about fertility, are guaranteed and included in Cuba´s health services.
Mr. Chairman,
In order to eliminate violence against women and girls, all unilateral coercive measures must be ended. 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 also constitutes a form of direct and indirect violence that affects and hinders the enjoyment of the fundamental rights of Cuban women, including their right to development.
Allow me to conclude by reiterating Cuba's willingness to continue to develop its social model based on justice, equality and solidarity, with strict adherence to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Thank you very much