Speaking at a meeting of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Cuban ambassador to Chile, Mercedes Vicente, denounced the harmful effects caused to her country by the United States blockade and its inclusion on the list of alleged sponsors of terrorism.

The diplomat rejected Washington’s decision to use the Guantánamo Bay naval base, a Cuban territory illegally occupied by the United States, as a migrant detention center.

Vicente participated in the second regional meeting on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, which was attended by representatives of governments, the UN system, international entities, the private sector, academia, and civil society.

The Cuban representative emphasized the importance of international cooperation to guarantee the rights of migrants and combat illegal smuggling and human trafficking.

She also called for strengthening dialogue and coordination between our countries to end xenophobia and discrimination and ensure respect for the integrity, dignity, and well-being of these people.

She reported that Cuba maintains regular migration rounds with 24 countries.

After noting that human mobility is a phenomenon as old as humanity itself, the ambassador recalled that many inhabitants of the region are descendants of people from other latitudes, who brought their talents and experiences to the places where they settled.

“Let us safeguard the rights of those who migrate today, and we will be contributing to a more just future for all,” she concluded.

The meeting, which will run until March 20, is sponsored by ECLAC and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to UN estimates published here, some 48.3 million people in the region were living outside their countries of origin in 2024.

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