Intervention of the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, in the Segment of Heads of State and / or Government of the ECOSOC Forum for the monitoring of Financing for Development, held in virtual format on April 12, 2021.
Mr. president:
The crisis generated by COVID-19 has deepened inequalities between developed and developing countries and has highlighted the need to transform the unjust, unequal and undemocratic international financial architecture.
Developing countries are challenged to face rising health expenditures, contraction of their economies, increasing fiscal deficits, external debt, food insecurity, unemployment, and poverty, which jeopardizes the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
In contrast, some powers waste billionaire resources on military spending, fail to comply with the commitment to contribute 0.7% of their GDP to Official Development Assistance and impose unilateral coercive measures, which violate the UN Charter and International Law. Cuba has suffered the longest economic, commercial and financial blockade in history, imposed by successive United States governments and intensified to unprecedented levels, even during the pandemic, with the approval of more than 240 measures by the administration. outgoing, these measures, which are still in force. This criminal and illegal policy, which the international community rejects, constitutes the main obstacle to the sustainable development of my country.
Mr. president:
Twenty-five years after the creation of the World Trade Organization, the Doha Development Round is at a standstill and special and differential treatment for the countries of the South remains a chimera. We are moving further and further away from meeting the commitments of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
The efforts of developing nations must be backed up with concrete actions in terms of technology transfer, external financing under fair conditions, access to markets, capacity building, and North-South cooperation.
An immediate solution is urgently needed to the problem of the growing foreign debt, already paid in excess, whose excessive amount weighs down the efforts of the countries of the South to focus on their development. It is time for developed countries to pay off their historical debt to humanity due to colonialism, unjust wars and the depredation of natural resources and the environment. Immediate and lasting solutions are required, allowing for a prosperous, equitable and sustainable future.
Mr. president:
Excellencies:
We are all committed to giving new generations confidence in the future and showing them that a better world is possible.
Thank you
