H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the General Assembly,
Cuba associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished delegation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and welcomes the convening of this Interactive Dialogue of the General Assembly, which seeks to give concrete expression to the commitments undertaken in environmental matters.
Mr. President,
The environmental crisis that the planet has been facing for decades, whose impact is increasingly devastating, especially for developing countries, has seriously undermined the functioning of our ecosystems and their capacity for regeneration, depleting our planet's resources and endangering all forms of life, reversing hard-won development gains.
At the heart of this problem lies the unsustainable model of capitalist production and consumption, whose negative consequences for the environment threaten the very existence of human civilization. It is imperative to transform the existing unjust international economic order and to eliminate inequality and poverty in all its forms and dimensions.
Cuba defends the sovereignty of countries over their natural resources, being aware of their duty to respect, protect, conserve, manage and sustainably use these resources and guarantee the conditions for nature and ecosystems to have the capacity to regenerate, for the benefit of present and future generations. Cuba also defends the principle of the superior role of governments as fundamental actors in the solution of local, national and regional problems and needs to face environmental challenges, as opposed to trends that advocate the exclusive or deregulated intervention of private capital and civil society in the management of these issues.
Mr. President,
Developing countries need strengthened international cooperation; the provision of financial and non-financial resources; the transfer of technology on favorable terms, including on preferential and concessional terms; strengthened technical cooperation for capacity building that should be based on the specific needs and conditions of recipient countries; and the promotion of a non-discriminatory, rules-based multilateral trading system that guarantees them special and differential treatment.
We reject any measure that implies the exclusion or limitation of some countries from receiving international funds to implement their obligations under the various international environmental legal instruments. In this regard, we condemn the imposition on my country of an economic, commercial and financial blockade that for over 60 years has hindered our development, including in environmental matters.
It requires real political will by developed countries to fulfill their international commitments in terms of technology transfer, official development assistance, as well as the contribution of additional financial resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. It is also essential that they fulfill their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assume their historical responsibility and ecological debt to humanity.
The right to development of the countries of the South and their participation in global agreements must be recognized, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Mr. President,
As expressed by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, at the recent United Nations High-Level Debate on Delivering Climate Action: for People, Planet and Prosperity:
“(…) the resources exist. It would be enough to allocate a portion of the multi-billion dollar amounts currently devoted to the arms race to support climate action. There will be no solution at the expense of the right to development of those most in need, nor of the nations of the world that struggle day by day against hunger, poverty and underdevelopment (…)”.
Thank you.