New York, 15 October 2019. Cuba participated today in the debate of the Fifth Committee of the United Nations on Agenda Item 135: 2020 Program Budget. Estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council. Thematic Cluster I: Special and personal envoys and special advisers to the Secretary-General.
Yaima de Armas Bonchang, Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the international organization, reiterated Cuba's full and unwavering support for the functions of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide.
However, with regard to the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, she stated that there is no resolution adopted by the General Assembly that states that such post has been created, and therefore she is opposed to its work being financed from the regular budget and resources being granted to it.
The issue of the Special Adviser on the responsibility to protect has not been discussed or considered in intergovernmental debates, nor has any decision been taken on the definition of the concept by the General Assembly, she said.
The purported concept of the "responsibility to protect" continues to pose serious concerns for many countries, particularly small and developing countries, due to the lack of consensus and definitions on several elements of the concept. This was demonstrated by the vote held last 20 September in the General Assembly, which sought to include this item on the agenda of the current session, but lacked consensus among the membership of the organization.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations