New York, 7 October 2019.The Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargé d'Affaires a.i.of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, highlighted today in the general debate on Item 26: Advancement of Women, that the island is proud to show tangible results in the advancement and empowerment of women and girls, having been the first country to sign and the second to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Cuba has a new Constitution that maintains and reaffirms the principle of equality and non-discrimination, assuring women the exercise of their sexual and reproductive rights and protecting them from violence in any of its manifestations and spaces, among others, the official stated.
She also explained that universal and free education is a strategic foundation to promote the involvement and empowerment of Cuban women and girls, as well as to make significant progress in eradicating prejudices and all forms of discrimination and violence. In Cuba, the presence of women in the National Assembly of the People's Power represents 53.22%. This figure places it as the second parliament in the world with the largest female participation, she said.
Rodríguez Abascal reiterated that the elimination of violence against women and girls requires the elimination of all unilateral coercive measures, such as the intensified economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba for almost 60 years, which directly affects the quality of life and the enjoyment of fundamental rights of Cuban women, including their right to development.
The Cuban diplomat showed in her statement that, although there are important global advances in women's rights and gender equality, women continue to make up 70% of the more than 2.7 billion poor people in the world, two-thirds of the nearly 800 million illiterate adults, and most of the civilian victims of wars, while 300,000 die each year from preventable complications during childbirth, 99% in the countries of the South. She called for a just and equitable international order that eradicates poverty and hunger, puts an end to armed conflicts, ensures the value of human beings over capital, and preserves the environment.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations