Mr. President,
Cubans are Afro-Latin Americans. The culture, traditions, idiosyncrasies and popular religiosity of Cuba are deeply mixed. Cuban law prohibits the advocacy of hatred, xenophobia, intolerance, racist ideas and all forms of discrimination.
Our commitment to the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is unwavering, as is our strict compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Despite external pressures and attempts to stifle us, Cuba continues to improve its institutional framework in this area.
In 2019, following the approval of the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination, the National Commission "Color Cubano" was created to follow up on actions to combat and definitively eliminate all vestiges of racism, racial prejudice and racial discrimination that remain in Cuba.
In October 2023, the Social Observatory of the same name was created on the initiative of the active Cuban civil society, whose actions have been decisive in this common crusade against racism and racial discrimination.
It is with great pride we welcomed the "International Conference Cuba 2024, Decade for People of African Descent. Equality - Equity - Social Justice", where June Soomer and Barbara Reynolds gave us prestige with their expertise. We reaffirm our support for the recently proclaimed by the United Nations Second International Decade for People of African Descent.
As Fidel Castro said in Durban: "Racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia are social, cultural and political phenomena, not a natural human instinct.”
Let us commit ourselves, let us act, let us eradicate these scourges forever, and we will have paid our debt to humanity.
Thank you