Mrs. President:
We support the statements made by the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Mr. Ralph Gonsalves, President pro Tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, in support of the sister nation of Haiti.
Much is said of the natural disasters and social violence that have punished Haiti for more than two centuries.
Much less is said about the real causes and dramatic consequences of colonial and post-colonial abuse by the imperial powers, which made it pay, for over 200 years, for the audacity of being the first Revolution led by black men and women, slaves until then; the first independent Republic of Our America and the first in the entire continent to abolish slavery.
That is why it is necessary to speak of the huge debt that the international community owes Haiti; of the responsibility that we all have with its definitive transformation. The noble Haitian people need and deserve our respect and support.
Cuba will continue to provide unconditional solidarity aid to Haiti, just as we have done for 25 years without interruption, in situations such as the impact of meteorological and seismic events, the cholera outbreak and COVID-19.
Since our medical cooperation in Haiti began in 1998, more than six thousand Cuban health workers have cooperated in Haiti, performing more than 16 million consultations and more than one million surgeries. In addition, more than 1,649,000 doses of different vaccines have been administered in prevention campaigns.
Cuba has also extended its cooperation in education, sports, agriculture, fishing, construction, water resources and environmental projects. More than 448,000 Haitians have been taught to read and write thanks to the Cuban educational program “Yes, I can” and 1,606 young Haitians have graduated from our universities.
We call on all governments, international organizations and donors, without exception, to mobilize financial resources, transfer technologies, help build capacities and fulfill Official Development Assistance commitments to Haiti, all of which must be done in the strictest respect for its sovereignty, the Haitian people, government and institutions.
Thank you