Statement by Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, in the debate on the presentation of the economic context of Latin America.

Statement by Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, in the debate on the presentation of the economic context of Latin America. Thirty-seventh session of the Committee of the Whole of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

New York, October 17th, 2023

Dear Ambassador María del Carmen Squeff,

Dear José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Distinguished representatives of member States and observers of the Commission.

Dear Guests:

We congratulate the Republic of Argentina for its outstanding work at the helm of the Commission this year.

We thank the Executive Secretary for the presentation of the economic context for the region, which commits us to work even harder for the benefit of our people.

I am also grateful for your participation in the recently concluded G77 and China Summit held in Havana, where the current international economic context and the need for our countries to seek solutions through South-South cooperation, in pursuit of our development aspirations in the face of the current challenging scenario, were addressed.

Dear Executive Secretary,

The multiple and growing global and regional challenges emphasize the need for greater regional cooperation and the strengthening of the multilateral framework, as national actions are insufficient to fill the existing gaps in the means of implementation that contribute to achieving national goals in the areas of poverty eradication, capacity building and infrastructure, financing, technology, trade; strengthening global financial governance; and developing actions to combat the effects of climate change, among other issues.

It also remains vitally important for our region to reaffirm the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including that of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, as well as the appeal to the United Nations System to pay differentiated attention to the specific development needs of middle-income countries, taking into account variables that go beyond per capita income criteria.

It is also necessary to recognize our legitimate right to development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While recognizing the encouraging results in the region in many areas of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, we cannot overlook the existence of marked difficulties and challenges, especially in the region, to achieve development in such transcendental issues as poverty eradication, inequalities, high external debt, the growing effects of climate change, the coverage of health and education issues, and the reduction in the levels of international cooperation.

We identify that inequality continues to be a predominant feature in Latin American and Caribbean countries, even in those with high economic growth, which is why it is necessary to increase investment in social services and expand economic opportunities. We defend the criterion that growth must be sustained, inclusive and egalitarian.

These analyses reinforce the need to accelerate the pace of implementation and awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Solutions to the current systemic crisis must seek to reorder the system itself. The efforts of developing countries are not enough to implement the 2030 Agenda, which has been evident since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our efforts must be backed by concrete actions for market access, financing on fair and preferential terms, technology transfer and North-South cooperation.

We demand a far-reaching transformation of the current international financial architecture, because it is profoundly unjust, anachronistic and dysfunctional; because it was designed to profit from the South stocks, perpetuate a system of domination that increases underdevelopment and reproduces a model of modern colonialism.

The Conclusions and Recommendations agreed upon by the governments ratify the region's commitment to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda, ensuring that no one is left behind.

For Cuba, it is a priority task to transform once and for all the paradigms of science, technology and innovation, which are limited to the environments and perspectives of the North, thus depriving the international scientific community of considerable intellectual capital.

The successful Havana Summit launched an urgent call to bring science, technology and innovation together around the undeniable goal of sustainable development.

There we decided to resume the work of the Consortium of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South, in order to promote joint research projects and foster productive linkages to reduce dependence on Northern markets.

All these efforts cannot be discontinued if our mission is the economic integration of the region.

Cuba recognizes and appreciates ECLAC's studies, since its reports constitute a guide for our nations in all areas of sustainable development.

We appreciate the emancipatory outlook of their publications and their commitment to our region and its integration in pursuit of the development of our peoples.

Thank you

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