New York, 25 September 2019. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, participated today in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held within the framework of the General Debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Cuban senior official explained how despite the blockade, the island is moving forward with determination in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, thanks to the efforts made by the Cuban Socialist State, whose commitment has allowed the country to boast social indicators comparable to those of many developed countries.
Cuba is the fifth country among the top 14 countries that have managed to reduce the hunger and malnutrition rate in a sustained manner for several years, according to the 2018 Global Food Policy Report, while in 2017, it achieved the lowest infant mortality rate in its history and in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, at 4.0 per thousand live births, said Rodriguez Parrilla.
The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs also denounced how the hostile U.S. policy towards the island, is currently trying to thwart the South-South cooperation projects between Cuba and numerous countries to improve the health conditions of millions of people. This interference negatively affects the countries benefiting from this medical cooperation, directly undermining the 2030 Agenda, he stated.
The Cuban Minister warned about how the world faces an international system in which wars of conquest and unconventional wars promoted by the U.S. imperialism proliferate, and in which resources are squandered in wars by imperialist powers such as the United States, whose military expenditure in 2018 accounted for 36% of the world’s total.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations