Cuba and EU Talk Human Rights

Cuba and the European Union just held the third round of talks on Human Rights; it was a virtual dialog due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

During the talks, Cuba reiterated its willingness to maintain dialog with the EU on the basis of respect to sovereignty and non-interference by any of the parts, said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on his Twitter account. shorturl.at/agnBZ

The session, which is part of the Accord for Political Dialog and Cooperation between the European Union and Cuba, tackled issues relevant to civil, economic, social, cultural and political rights; also on the agenda was multilateral cooperation and the UN human rights mechanisms, according to the website of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.

The Cuban delegation put forth the island’s achievements as result of a its commitment to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all citizens despite the strengthening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of the Caribbean nation.

Cuba also ratified its permanent will to keep working towards the common goal related to the enjoyment of all human rights for all the people on the basis of respect of the UN Charter and international instruments relevant to this issue.

The island also extended its concerns about the situation of the human rights in European Union member states, which attempt against the enjoyment of such rights. The Cuban representatives also underlined the need to take action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and expressions of intolerance, and measures to face the increasing discourse marked by hatred and supremacist ideas in public affairs.

The two parties agreed to the need that dialog contributes to an effective, constructive and non-discriminatory assessment of the human rights issue and this must be included in multilateral forums; dialog must also enhance the consolidation of the Accord for Political Dialog and Cooperation between the European Union and Cuba.

Representatives of the Cuban civil society and the European Union met on January 25 to discuss experiences and good practices related to the role of the civil society in the design and implementation of public policies for the comprehensive protection of the human rights of the most vulnerable sectors of society under the COVID-19 pandemic.