Cuba, 2024

**Mr President,**

**Mr Secretary-General,**

Let me begin by reaffirming Cuba’s solidarity with and support for the brotherly **Palestinian people**, victims of more than **75 years of colonial occupation**, flagrant violations of their legitimate national rights, subjected to cruelty, aggression, collective punishment, and apartheid.

In the past **eleven months**, the Israeli military has killed more than **40,000 civilians**. In that indiscriminate and disproportionate massacre, **more children than men and women have died**. This is being carried out with the complicity and weapons provided by the **United States government**, and with the **complicit silence of others**. We pay tribute to the **more than 220 UN staff members** who were also killed.

Cuba’s position is clear and unequivocal. President **Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez** has declared:

> “History will not forgive the indifferent. And we will not be among them.”

This is a wound on the conscience of humanity.

> **The genocide against the Palestinian people must end, unconditionally and without delay.**

**Israel**, with the complicity of the **US**, has brought the world to the brink of a potentially devastating conflagration. The reckless aggression against **Lebanon, Syria, Iran**, and the peoples of the **Middle East** will have consequences that are difficult to predict.

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**Excellencies,**

**Seventy-nine years** after the founding of this Organisation, **violations of the UN Charter and international law continue**, along with aggression, interference in internal affairs, and the **imposition of unilateral coercive measures** for political purposes—all as **daily occurrences**.

**Aggressive military doctrines** of domination, expansionism, and supremacism are **gravely undermining international peace and security**.

The danger of a **nuclear catastrophe is real and immediate**. For the **ninth consecutive year**, **global military expenditure has increased**, reaching a **record $2.44 trillion in 2023**, including the development of **new nuclear weapons**.

Despite the efforts of State Parties and Signatories of the **Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons**, and widespread civil society mobilisation, we have gone backwards.

There will also be **no peace without development**.

**Developed countries**, living on the same planet, **blindly refuse to invest minimally** in the prosperity and security of all. They fail to meet even their **insufficient commitments** to Official Development Assistance. The **boastful promises** made in 2023—quickly forgotten—amount to **less than 0.37%** of their national income.

The hope of achieving the **Sustainable Development Goals** has faded.

These are **structural crises**, caused by the **imperialist system** and the **international order imposed on us**. No problem will be solved by **undermining the intergovernmental character of the United Nations**, as some attempt, nor by **weakening its role** in promoting sustainable development for all.

**Climate change is advancing inexorably.** This is an **irrefutable fact**.

In **July 2024**, scientists announced **13 consecutive months** of record-breaking global temperatures.

Unless the **irrational and unsustainable capitalist patterns** of production and consumption are **urgently and significantly changed**, it will be impossible to keep the global average temperature increase **below 1.5°C** compared to pre-industrial levels.

Yes, responsibilities are **shared**, but also **differentiated**—they are **not equal** and **cannot justly be treated as such**.

Nevertheless, a step in the right direction could be taken at **COP29 in Azerbaijan**, by adopting a **New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance**. Northern countries would have another opportunity to begin closing the climate finance gap. The South must design a goal **sufficient to meet its needs**, with **guarantees for development and social justice**, in the face of massive challenges. **Debt cancellation**—already repaid many times over—must be part of the solution.

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**Only a new international order can definitively save the human species**:

- One that is **just and democratic**, guaranteeing peace and **“the balance of the world”**, enabling the **right to development** for all states under **sovereign equality**, increasing the participation and representation of **developing countries** in global governance and decision-making;

- One that ensures the **common good**, prosperity for all peoples, harmony with nature, and the sustainable management of natural resources;

- One that **guarantees the exercise of all human rights for all people**.

We need a **new civilised coexistence among nations**, based on **solidarity**, **international cooperation**, **integration**, and the **peaceful resolution of disputes**, as alternatives to the “philosophy of plunder”, war, the use or threat of force, aggression, occupation, and **hegemonic domination—cultural, political, financial, technological, or military**.

This must be an order **without blockades or unilateral coercive measures**, grounded in **multilateralism** and full respect for the **UN Charter** and **international law**.

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**Mr President,**

The **United States government** continues its **relentless, harmful efforts** to control Cuba’s destiny. This is an **old ambition**, rooted in the **Monroe Doctrine**, which defines the imperialist, hegemonic nature of **US policy** towards Cuba and Latin America.

The **economic, commercial, and financial blockade** is also political, technological, and communicational.

It is a principal weapon of aggression, **designed to destroy Cuba’s economy**, block financial inflows, provoke collapse, and generate political and social instability. The damage is visible, undeniable, and **affects the daily lives of all Cubans**.

It is accompanied by an **intense disinformation campaign**, **persistent interference**, and **tolerated acts of violence and terrorism** by groups operating from **US territory**.

These actions **violate international law**, defy the **principles of the UN Charter**, and contradict countless resolutions of the **General Assembly**.

This **siege** has been intensified by Cuba’s inclusion on the **US State Department’s arbitrary and infamous list** of states that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

This is a **fraudulent designation**, lacking **moral authority** or **international mandate**. It triggers **extraterritorial reprisals** beyond US jurisdiction, **targeting countries worldwide**.

Yet, in **May 2024**, the **US State Department itself acknowledged** that Cuba **fully cooperates in the fight against terrorism**. This admission has not eased the coercive measures, but it does make Cuba’s presence on that illegitimate list even more **incoherent and unjustifiable**.

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**Presidential elections** will soon be held in the United States. That is the **exclusive affair of the American people**—though, historically, the **US government has interfered in elections and internal affairs** of UN Member States, including its allies.

History shows that regardless of election outcomes, **anti-Cuban politicians and interest groups**, who have made aggression against Cuba a **lucrative business**, will continue to have influence.

They do **not represent** the will of the **US majority**, nor the **Cuban community** residing in that country.

**Whatever the outcome**, Cuba will **defend its sovereign right to independence** and to **build socialism**—as the Cuban people have chosen—**free of foreign interference**. We will also **continue advocating** for a **respectful, constructive relationship** with the United States.

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**Mr President,**

In **2014**, the **Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)** declared our region a **Zone of Peace**—a historic commitment that grows more relevant every day.

We defend **peace and multilateralism** against **unilateral coercive measures** that cause grave harm to **Syria, Belarus, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, the DPRK, Iran, Russia, Cuba**, and others.

We **firmly reject** all attempts to undermine the constitutional order of our nations through **coup tactics**—as happened in **Bolivia in 2019** and again on **26 June**, with attempts now being made in **Honduras**.

We **denounce the attempts to destabilise Venezuela** and **reaffirm our solidarity** with the **Bolivarian and Chavista government** and the **civic-military unity** led by **President Nicolás Maduro**. Calls to reject electoral results are **irresponsible and disrespectful** of the people's will and legitimate institutions.

The **destabilisation efforts against Nicaragua** must stop. The **Sandinista people** will continue to have our **full support**.

We reiterate support for the **right of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence**.

**Caribbean nations** deserve fair, special, and differentiated treatment to address their challenges. We support their rightful demand for **reparations for colonialism and slavery**.

The **international community owes a historical debt to Haiti**, the first nation in the hemisphere to achieve independence through a **revolution against slavery**. We welcome efforts by **CARICOM** to support Haiti’s **sovereignty-respecting recovery**.

We support **Argentina’s sovereignty** over the **Malvinas**, **South Sandwich**, and **South Georgia Islands**, and surrounding maritime spaces.

We reaffirm our commitment to **peace efforts in Colombia**, to which **Cuba will continue contributing** as **guarantor**.

**Africa**, cradle of humankind, can always count on Cuba’s **unwavering support** in its development journey.

We reaffirm our **solidarity with the Sahrawi people** and their **right to self-determination**.

Cuba **rejects actions** that seek to violate the **territorial integrity** and **sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China**, condemns interference in its internal affairs, and reaffirms its unwavering support for the **One-China principle**, in line with **Resolution 2758** of this Assembly.

We advocate for a **serious, constructive, realistic diplomatic solution** to the war in **Ukraine**, through **peaceful means** and in line with **international law**, ensuring the **security and sovereignty of all**. In this context, **Cuba supports the joint proposal by China and Brazil** for a political resolution to the crisis.

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**Mr President,**

Let us unite our efforts to make **multilateral institutions effective**, and ensure they **respond to the interests of the people**—the humble, the poor, the vulnerable, and the exploited—who are the vast majority. Let this be grounded in **genuine equality**, **the exercise of all human rights**, and respect for the **sovereign rights of every nation**.

**Thank you very much.**