Vienna, October 14, 2021. At the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, the signing of the Cuba-UNIDO Country Program took place today, for the period 2021-2025. The Cuban side was represented by Ambassador Soraya Álvarez, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Cuba in Austria and the counterpart, by Ciyong Zou, managing director of the Directorate of Programs, Alliances and Coordination of UNIDO.
During the ceremony, the Director recognized the outstanding role of Cuba in its relations with UNIDO and the successful completion of the 8 projects proposed in the previous Country Program. He also announced the Organization's willingness to continue strengthening cooperation with the Island, especially in the context of the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cuban diplomat reiterated the importance that the Cuban government attaches to its historical ties with the Organization. He reaffirmed that cooperation with UNIDO represents strategic support for national efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Likewise, he thanked the response sent by UNIDO to the UN Secretary General's Note on resolution A/RES/75/289, which requests the end of the blockade imposed by the United States government against Cuba for more than 6 decades. . In this regard, he recalled that this policy also affects the implementation of technical cooperation programs between Cuba and the Organization, as a result of its extraterritorial nature.
Also present at the ceremony were the Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Division of UNIDO, Diego Masera, other members of the Technical Secretariat and Marlen Redondo Falcón, Third Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Cuba in Vienna.
(EmbaCuba Austria/Cubaminrex)