September 28, 2015
(Council of State transcript / GI
translation)
Esteemed heads of state and government,
Distinguished heads of delegations,
Mr. Secretary General of the United
Nations,
Mr. President,
Seventy years ago, on behalf of their
peoples, the member states of this
organization signed the United Nations
Charter. We pledged to protect future
generations from the scourge of war, and
to build a new type of relationship guided
by a set of principles and purposes that
could bring about an era of peace, justice
and development for all of humanity.
However, since then, there have been
constant wars of aggression; interference
in the internal affairs of states; violent
overthrowing of sovereign governments;
so-called “soft coups,” and the re-
colonization of territories. All of these
perfected with non-conventional
strategies and new technology, under the
guise of alleged human rights violations.
The militarization of cyberspace, and the
covert and illegal use of information and
communications technologies to attack
other states is unacceptable, as likewise
is the distortion of the advancement and
protection of human rights used with a
selective and discriminatory approach to
justify and impose political decisions.
Despite the fact that the Charter calls
to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human
rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person,” to millions of people the
fulfillment of human rights remains a
utopia.
Humanity is denied the right to live in
peace, and the right to development. It is
in poverty and inequality where the cause
of conflicts should be sought; conflicts
generated first by colonialism and the
plundering of original peoples, and later
by imperialism and the distribution of
spheres of influence.
The pledge made in 1945 “to promote
social progress and better standards
of living” for the peoples, along with
their economic and social development,
remains an illusion when 795 million
people go hungry, 781 million adults are
illiterate, and 17,000 children perish every
day from curable diseases, while annual
military spending worldwide amounts to
more than 1.7 trillion dollars.
A mere fraction of that figure
could resolve the most pressing
problems afflicting humanity.
Even in industrialized nations, the
“welfare society”, usually presented as
the model to imitate, has practically
disappeared. The election systems and
traditional parties that rely on money
and publicity, are growing increasingly
detached and distant from the
aspirations of their peoples.
Climate change is threatening the very
existence of the human species, and states
must assume common but differentiated
responsibility for this, in light of the
indisputable reality that not every country
is equally accountable, and not all of us
waste natural and human resources to
irrational and unsustainable consumerism.
The consequences of climate change
have a particularly devastating effect on
small island nations and bring additional
tension to bear on their fragile economies.
And, the same is happening in Africa with
the relentless advance of desertification.
We stand in solidarity with our Caribbean
brothers, and demand that they are treated
in a special and differentiated way. We also
support African countries and demand fair
treatment for them, as well as the transfer
of technology and financial resources.
Mr. President,
The establishment of the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States
(CELAC), and especially the signing
by the heads of state and government
in January 2014 of the Proclamation of
Latin America and the Caribbean as a
Peace Zone, shows that we can move
beyond our differences toward unity, and
the achievement of common goals while
respecting our diversity.
In the
Proclamation,
we reaffirm
our steadfast
commitment to
the principles
establsihed
in the United
Nations Charter
and in
international
law to settle
disputes by
peaceful
means, and our belief that full respect
for the inalienable right of every state to
choose its own political, economic, social
and cultural system is an essential premise
to ensure peaceful coexistence between
nations. We advocate adherence to these
principles by other states in their relations
with our region.
We reaffirm our full solidarity with
the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
regarding attempts to destabilize and
subvert its constitutional order, and destroy
of the work undertaken by President Hugo
Chávez Frías and continued by President
Nicolás Maduro Moros for the benefit of
the Venezuelan people.
Likewise, our firm and unlimited
solidarity goes to the Republic of Ecuador,
its Citizens’ Revolution and leader, Rafael
Correa, who has become the target of the
same destabilization strategy used against
other progressive governments in the
region.
We stand in solidarity with the Caribbean
nations demanding fair
reparation for the horrors
of slavery and the slave
trade, in a world where
racial discrimination
and repression against
communities of African
descendants have increased.
We reaffirm our conviction
that the people of Puerto
Rico deserves to be free
and independent, after
more than a century of
colonial domination.
We stand in solidarity with
the Republic of Argentina in its fair claim
of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands,
the South Georgia and South Sandwich
Islands.
We reiterate our support to and solidarity
with President Dilma Rouseff and the
Brazilian people in the defense of social
achievements and the stability of the
country.
We reaffirm our rejection of the intention
to expand the presence of NATO up to
the Russian borders, as well as of the
unilateral and unfair sanctions imposed
on that nation.
We welcome the so-called nuclear
agreement with the Islamic Republic of
Iran, which shows that engagement and
negotiation are the only effective tools to
settle disputes between states.
We restate our confidence that the Syrian
people are capable of resolving their own
disputes, and demand the end of external
interference.
A fair and lasting solution in the Middle
East conflict unquestionably requires the
true exercise, by the Palestinian people,
of its inalienable right to build their own
state within the borders existing prior to
1967, and its capital in East Jerusalem,
which we strongly support.
For the past few weeks we have been
moved by images of waves of migrants
arriving in Europe, a direct result of the
destabilization promoted and executed by
NATO in countries of the Middle East
and North Africa, and of poverty and
underdevelopment prevailing in countries
of the African continent. The European
Union must take full and immediate
responsibility for the human crisis that it
helped generate.
Mr. President,
After 56 years, during which the Cuban
people put up a heroic and selfless
resistance, diplomatic relations have
been reestablished between Cuba and
the United States of America.
Now, a long and complex process begins
toward normalization that will only be
achieved with the end of the economic,
commercial and financial blockade; the
return to our country of the territory
illegally occupied by the Guantanamo
Naval Base; the suspension of radio
and TV broadcasts, and subversion
and destabilization attempts against
the Island; and, when our people
are compensated for the human and
economic damages they continue to
endure.
As long as the blockade remains in
force, we will continue to introduce the
Draft Resolution entitled “Necessity
of Ending the Economic, Commercial
and Financial Embargo imposed by the
United States of America on Cuba.”
To the 188 governments and peoples
who have backed our just demand, here,
and in other international and regional
forums, I reaffirm the eternal gratitude
of the Cuban people and government for
your continued support.
Mr. President,
Cuba is celebrating the 70th anniversary
of the United Nations Organization with
profound commitment. We acknowledge
that efforts have been made throughout
these years, although not enough has
been done, to save present and future
generations from the scourge of war,
and to protect their right to sustainable
development, without exclusion. The
United Nations must be saved from
unilateral action, and deeply reformed
to democratize and bring it closer to the
people.
As Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, the historic
leader of the Cuban Revolution, stated in
this same hall fifteen years ago: “Anyone
can understand that the fundamental
objective of the United Nations, in this
critical century that is just beginning, is to
save the world not only from war but also
from underdevelopment, hunger, diseases,
poverty and the destruction of the natural
resources indispensable to
human existence. And it
should do it soon before it is
too late!”
The international community
can always count on Cuba
to lift its sincere voice
against injustice, inequality,
underdevelopment,
discrimination and
manipulation; and for
the establishment of a
more equitable and fair
international order, truly
focused on human beings,
their dignity and well-being.
Thank you.
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