Through the voice of its ambassador to UNESCO, Yahíma Esquivel, Cuba said on Tuesday that attention and the search for answers to pressing problems for humanity such as illiteracy, poverty, and inequalities should not be neglected.
Paris.- In her address at the 216th Executive Council of the multilateral organization, Esquivel warned about the importance of facing these and other challenges, including the digital and technological gaps, even when there is deep concern about the complex global crisis generated by the prevailing unjust economic order.
In the face of this reality, structural problems seem to be ignored, which, without being solved, are disappearing from the center of international debates and our common agendas, she insisted in this capital.
According to the Cuban diplomat, the planet's difficulties are worsening due to the systemic nature of the crisis and its climate, energy, health, food, and economic dimensions.
We see how this scenario, which has an immeasurable impact on developing countries, is triggering an escalation of geopolitical tensions, she said at the forum.
Esquivel told the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that Cuba considers that the way out of such a challenging panorama is to put international solidarity and cooperation first, a vision that it is promoting from its pro tempore presidency of the Group of 77 plus China this year.
She also demanded an end to unilateral coercive measures with extraterritorial application that affect the nations of the South, including the blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, policies that she described as incompatible with the necessary response to overcome the global crisis.
In her speech, Esquivel also addressed the uneven pattern of post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery that affects the countries of the South and the role that UNESCO should play in reversing it.
The ambassador illustrated what can be done in terms of solidarity and cooperation, based on the values and principles of UNESCO, with the commitments set by the members of the Group of 77 plus China at their meetings of Ministers of Education and Culture, held in Havana in February and May, respectively. (PL)
