Ms. President,
Dear Catherine Russell, Executive Director,
Dear members of the Executive Board and other delegations,
We thank the UNICEF Executive Director for its substantive intervention, while we reiterate our appreciation for UNICEF’s outstanding work at the global level during the first year of implementation of the Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
Cuba positively acknowledges UNICEF’s efforts to support maternal and neonatal health, child nutrition, child vaccination and education, just to mention a few; and highlights that, thanks to UNICEF's work, 37.9 million children and adolescents will have access to education by 2022.
In the specific case of Cuba, UNICEF has accompanied our Government’s efforts to guarantee the health, education and comprehensive protection of our children and adolescents. Likewise, its contribution to the strengthening of our Health System, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been valuable, as well as its continued support for more than 30 years to our Expanded Program of Immunization, through the acquisition of the MMR vaccine, which is not produced in the country.
Cuba gives priority to the comprehensive protection and welfare of our children and adolescents, in the midst of the complex situation resulting from the global economic crisis and the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. Government against Cuba for more than six decades.
The Cuban State budget is eminently devoted to responding to the social needs of the population, with primary emphasis on children and adolescents. In 2022, 69 per cent of it was allocated to sectors with a very high impact on their comprehensive protection, in particular, public health, education, and social security and assistance.
Addressing the growing challenges facing children requires flexible resources that allow UNICEF to carry out its mandate and adapt to the needs of each country. That is why we insist on the need for UNICEF to have adequate and predictable resources to ensure the fulfillment of its Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
Ms. President,
I would like to conclude by reiterating my country’s commitment to the work and mandate of UNICEF, both in Cuba and in the rest of the world. That is why we convey our willingness to continue developing cooperation with UNICEF, including through the development of joint projects, mainly in the health sector, where Cuba has an extensive and internationally recognized experience.
Thank you