Cuba Addresses UNESCO’s Environmental Priorities Ahead of Upcoming International Conferences on Biodiversity and Climate Change
Paris, 9 October 2026.- Ambassador María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, Permanent Representative of Cuba to UNESCO, spoke during the plenary exchange of the Executive Board with the Director-General, Khaled El-Enany, on the implementation of the decisions adopted by the Executive Board and the resolutions approved by the General Conference at its previous sessions.
In her intervention, the Ambassador welcomed Denise Pires de Carvalho, recently appointed Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, and asked the Director-General about the guidance provided to the new head of the sector on environmental issues, particularly biodiversity, as well as UNESCO’s priorities ahead of upcoming international conferences, notably the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), to be held in Armenia from 19 to 30 October, and the 31st Conference of the Parties on climate change (COP31), scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November.
Cuba Takes Part in the Traditional Meeting of UNESCO National Commissions
Paris, October 9, 2026. — On October 8 and 9, 2026, the Traditional Meeting of National Commissions for UNESCO was held in Paris, on the sidelines of the 225th session of the Organization’s Executive Board.
Cuba was represented by Mirta Granda Averhoff, President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO (CNCU).
225th session of the UNESCO Executive Board begins
Paris, 5 October 2026. — The proceedings of the 225th session of the UNESCO Executive Board began today, 5 October, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The session will take place from 5 to 20 October 2026.
The session of the Executive Board is taking place against a backdrop of significant challenges to multilateralism and international cooperation, as UNESCO advances a process of institutional reform and transformation within the framework of the UNESCO 80 Roadmap.
Cuba’s participation in this session takes place under particularly challenging circumstances for the country. The intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States, including its impact on access to energy resources, continues to have serious economic and humanitarian consequences for the Cuban population. UNESCO itself has acknowledged the effects of external restrictions on access to fuel and their repercussions on essential services, including education in Cuba.
Presentation at UNESCO of the Selected Works of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz
Paris, October 3, 2026. — As part of the activities being carried out by the Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cuba to UNESCO, María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, presented the collection of the Selected Works of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz to ambassadors, diplomatic representatives and members of the Organization’s Secretariat.
During the activity, participants were provided with a QR code giving direct access to the digital collection of the Selected Works, thus facilitating its consultation by diplomats and UNESCO officials.
Cuba Makes Strong Denunciation at UNESCO of the Effects of the U.S. Blockade
Paris, October 1st, 2026. – The Plenary Assembly of the G77 and China Chapter at UNESCO was the setting for a strong denunciation by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cuba to UNESCO, María del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, of the consequences of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba for more than six decades and intensified today to unprecedented levels, with an energy siege aimed at suffocating the country and whose consequences directly affect the lives of Cuban women and men.