Mr. President:
Cuba appreciates the convening of this dialogue, which we are confident will support the international efforts in favor of food security worldwide.
South-South cooperation has proven to be an effective tool for developing countries; for redesigning the architecture of international cooperation; as well as for consolidating partnerships among our nations. At the same time, it has set out the guidelines to identify the authentic needs of developing countries. It is also a complement to the commitments of developed countries to developing countries in building a sustainable society at the global, regional and national levels.
Despite the results achieved along these 40 years, challenges remain. Many of our countries still face severe events of poverty and extreme hunger, poor health conditions, vulnerabilities to natural disasters and high indebtedness, among other problems. At the current pace and level of implementation, by 2030, we will not meet the goal of zero hunger set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
All this requires greater responsibility from everyone and a call on developed countries to fulfill the international commitments agreed upon in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and in the area of Official Development Assistance. We must also advocate the strengthening of multilateralism, achieving greater involvement of the United Nations System and an integrated and harmonious action by the entire international community.
Cuba reaffirms its commitment to the postulates of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, the Nairobi Outcome Document and the Buenos Aires Outcome Document of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, all of which remain fully valid and relevant.
Despite being a small island developing state, Cuba is resolved to continue its traditional vocation of providing supportive assistance to the peoples who need it most, without conditions whatsoever and with absolute respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of each nation.
Even though we have limited material resources, we have implemented cooperation programs in more than 150 countries, where hundreds of thousands of professionals have rendered their services in various areas and sectors, including the support and development of projects in the agricultural and food sector. These modest contributions by Cuba are evidences of the enormous potentialities of the South-South cooperation.
An example that neither the geographical distances nor the economic challenges can prevent cooperation among our peoples, has been the implementation of successful cooperation projects between Cuba and nations in the Pacific aiming at contributing to the improvement of food production and general environmental protection for the communities.
Mr. President,
The highest responsibility to ensure that the experiences about which we will exchange this day contribute to the realization of actions for the benefit of our peoples lies in our hands. I conclude by renewing Cuba's commitment to the South-South cooperation as a means of contributing to the development of our peoples and also as an expression of the supportive, internationalist and humanist vocation that has guided the actions of the Cuban Revolution.
Thank you very much.