New York, 2 July 2021. Ana Teresita González Fraga, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment (MINCEX, by its Spanish initials) stated today during the UN High-Level Meeting on Middle-Income Countries that access to external financing, special and differential treatment in trade matters and international cooperation are crucial for middle-income countries in a complex global political, social and economic context, exacerbated by the aftermath of COVID-19.
In her statement, González Fraga referred to the deep gap that still exists between the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and international commitments to support their implementation, six years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. In addition, she underscored the urgency for industrialized countries to fulfill without conditions their historical commitment to contribute 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income to Official Development Assistance.
The First Deputy Minister of MINCEX mentioned that Cuba continues to work steadily on the implementation of the National Plan for Economic and Social Development until 2030, whose strategic focus pursues the full achievement of the SDGs, despite the unprecedented tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States government.
Furthermore, she expressed that Cuba attaches great importance to South-South Cooperation, which although it is not a substitute for the much-needed North-South Cooperation, represents a valuable instrument in the quest for solutions to the problems we share. She noted that being consistent with this principle; the country has developed cooperation programs in more than 150 countries and that thousands of Cuban collaborators are currently contributing to the fight against the pandemic in over 30 countries and territories.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations