Cuba: Broad Agenda at the UN and in New York

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez completed a broad program here, at the head of Cuba's delegation to the High-Level Segment of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, in New York.

According to a summary sent to Prensa Latina, Rodríguez carried out an agenda that included 11 interventions in multilateral meetings, as well as more than 30 bilateral encounters with senior United Nations officials and dignitaries from countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Notable among them were the meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman, as well as the heads of the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross, whom he updated on the humanitarian situation in Cuba caused by the energy siege (blockade) imposed by the U.S. government.

His speeches were at the meeting of CELAC Foreign Ministers; the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development; the High-Level Plenary to address the existential threats posed by rising sea levels; the meeting of The Hague Group in Defense of International Law; and the annual meeting of the G77 and China.

He also spoke at the High-Level Meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response; the High-Level Dialogue on the Fifth Anniversary of the Global Development Initiative; the General Debate of the 81st session; the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; and the one dedicated to promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

"In all these spaces, the minister defended Cuba's positions of principle, respect for multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the organization, and denounced the unprecedented escalation of the United States' policy of hostility against Cuba," the summary stressed.

During his remarks in the General Debate last Saturday, the foreign minister publicly conveyed Cuba's main foreign policy projections for the 81st session, the text added.

On the sidelines of the UN meeting — held from September 21 to 29 — Rodríguez held meetings with senior figures of the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, and of the African American sector, and also participated in solidarity events and events with Cubans residing in the United States.

At the solidarity event "Voices for Peace, Cuba Is Not a Threat," he thanked the permanent support for the Cuban people, amid the difficulties imposed by the strengthened U.S. blockade, the energy siege and secondary sanctions.

He also recognized the firm position toward Cuba in the face of the persecution and pressure suffered by many of those who are supportive of the Caribbean nation.

Before the start of the High-Level Segment, the island's delegation attended the Meeting of Cubans Residing in the United States, where the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the important work carried out by the country to achieve the greatest relationship and integration into national life of those who reside or remain for prolonged periods outside the homeland, and of their descendants.

During the exchange, he stressed the strengthening of U.S. aggression against Cuba, the collective punishment applied against the Cuban people and the ruthless impact it is having on families and the population in general.

Traveling with the foreign minister as members of the delegation were Deputy Ministers Anayansi Rodríguez and Carlos Fernández de Cossío, as well as the director general of Multilateral Affairs and International Law of Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ileana Núñez.

Deputy Minister Anayansi Rodríguez spoke at seven other multilateral meetings, helping to amplify Cuba's high-level presence during the High-Level Segment. Taking advantage of his stay in New York, Cuba's top diplomat also gave interviews to U.S. media outlets NBC News and AP.