New York, 11 October 2019. The Second Secretary of the Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, Indira Guardia González, reiterated today Cuba's unavoidable commitment to promote and strengthen a genuine Rule of Law, which will contribute to changing the current unjust international order.
In her statement on United Nations Agenda Item 85 "The rule of law at the national and international levels", the representative of the island stressed that any assistance or mechanism provided by the Organization to a member State must be under the strict consent of said State. She argued that the promotion and strengthening of the Rule of Law are based on due respect for the legal institutions of all States by the international community, as well as the recognition of the sovereign right of peoples to create legal and democratic institutions in line with their social, political and cultural interests.
The diplomat warned of the need to strengthen domestic legal systems on the basis of voluntariness, unrestricted respect for the self-determination of the peoples and without political conditions of any kind. This, she explained, would contribute to eliminating possible interventionist interpretations and the violation of the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States.
She also drew attention to attempts to supersede or replace national authorities, including activities to promote internal conflicts in sovereign States, in order to impose a regime change.
Cuba, as part of the national efforts to strengthen the Rule of Law, adopted a new Constitution last April, in order to adapt the Constitution to the new circumstances in which its society develops; strengthen the political system to consolidate and develop the fundamental rights achieved by its citizens; improve and modernize the legal system, as well as its power structures, making them more functional and allowing greater citizen control over their actions; to strengthen government self-management mechanisms at a local level and encourage greater citizen participation in decision-making, she reported.
However, Guardia González stated that the Cuban nation is affected by a set of extraterritorial rules that make up the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States for more than 50 years and which has been reinforced with the implementation of Titles III and IV of the Helms-Burton Act.
This, she added, is contrary to the idea of a genuine Rule of Law, which requires the unequivocal waiver of any unilateral action or measure, including the enactment and implementation of extraterritorial laws, as well as the politically motivated exercise of the jurisdiction of national or international courts.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations