Speaking at a thematic session on confronting the challenges of a changing world, Rodríguez acknowledged Italy’s traditional for the fight to lift this unilateral measure, the main obstacle to its economic and social development, which Washington has imposed on Cuba for more than six decades.
The deputy foreign minister pointed out that the poorest and most vulnerable countries, victims of an unjust international economic order, suffer from the worst effects of “unprecedented global challenges.”
In the context of the systemic and multidimensional crisis that is affecting the planet, the risk of failing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) increases, the Cuban diplomat said. “We cannot continue to ignore the alarms that warn about an imminent climate catastrophe.”
He went on to say that progress to guarantee access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all does not have the required speed, while “international financial flows for clean energy continue to decline.”
Rodríguez warned that for small developing island states, such as Cuba and most Caribbean countries, the challenge is even bigger, “due to our vulnerabilities in terms of size, economic capabilities and exposure to exogenous shocks.”
In relation to the environmental and climate crisis, he stated that it must be faced through collective action and international cooperation, including North-South, South-South and Triangular cooperation, with respect for the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity and respective capabilities.
The Cuban Government’s objectives are to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energy sources, reduce the generation of greenhouse gases, mitigate climate change and promote less carbon-intensive economic development, the diplomat noted.
He pointed out that multiple international crises have caused disruptions in supply chains, affecting key elements of agri-food systems, “which have jeopardized the guarantee of the right to food, food security, nutrition, and health care for our people.”
Developing countries are particularly affected by this situation, and the Cuban Government is making extraordinary efforts to guarantee the universal right to food for its population through a basic family basket, and to implement the Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education Plan.
Cuba is facing such challenges amid the reinforcement of the US blockade, with actions as spurious as including the Caribbean island on a unilateral list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, “which enhances the negative effects of the global problems being addressed in this session,” Rodríguez emphasized. .
The11th Italy-Latin America and Caribbean Conference, which is taking place on Friday at the venue of the Foreign Ministry, is aimed at strengthening relations between Italy and Latin American and Caribbean countries, as a prioritized objective of its foreign policy.
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