Despite the war economy we struggle with due to a reinforced blockade and other particularities of the country, Cuba demonstrates a thriving spirit of resilience in the face of the communion of highly negative adversities that characterize today’s life.

“We are here because of the heroism, convictions and struggle of this people,” recently acknowledged Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, in back-to-back interventions in the IX Plenary Session of the CC PCC, in the analyses of the Commissions of the National Assembly of People's Power and in the IV Period of Sessions of the X Legislature of Parliament, which ended last Friday, and supported by a massive combative rally outside the US Embassy against imperial hostility and ignominy.

More than 500,000 citizens of the capital, representing the entire nation, were responsible for giving a decisive response to the call to once again attend the meeting with Homeland. What better example, what better Yes for Cuba for all times.

The 12 months that are ending witnessed a series of events, at the head of which appears the growing persecution of Washington, which far from diminishing, foretells that the temperature of the blockade exerted until now against Cuba will rise, which suffered two hurricanes and an equal number of high-scale earthquakes, plus three complete disconnections of the National Electric Grid.

On top of all that, the shortage of fuel, gas, food, medicine and transportation also affected the daily life of the population, witness to inflation with uncontrolled prices and lack of financial liquidity that prevents it from evolving with a certain normalcy.

In the aforementioned meetings, the international and domestic context Cuba has faced in the year 2024 was discussed in depth, when one year has passed since the implementation of the Government's projections to correct distortions and boost the economy, which have advanced, but have not yet achieved the necessary results.

The member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, when evaluating its progress, indicated that although discrete results are shown, there’s dissatisfaction that there has been no progress in the aspects of greatest impact on the population.

He reiterated that the imperial blockade and its measures of persecution and financial pressures are the main challenge to face in the updating and improvement of the economic and social model of socialist development.

Regarding these criteria, the Prime Minister also expressed his certainty that "yes, we can overcome this moment," for which fundamental priorities are implicit: the strengthening of unity, the improvement of political-ideological work, implementation of the aforementioned projections and attention to deviations and negative trends in Cuban society.

THE COUNTRY IS NOT STILL

The country is by no means at a standstill, although we practically live day to day facing critical shortages, like a gale that appears everywhere, essentially due to the deficit of foreign currency, a consequence of the interventionist restrictions of the White House and the global economic crisis with its echo inside Cuba.

There’s experience that from the bad spots one can out only fighting and enduring. The challenges and problems grow, but at the same time the efforts and sacrifice that entails not giving up in the fight for survival and going towards higher challenges no matter what.

The perpetuation in time of the genocidal policy of the United States, added to the complex foreign scenario, where war conflicts arise and walls are built instead of bridges, puts all Cubans to a pressure that permanently aggravates the difficulties.

There’s no truce; but Cuba has demonstrated the capacity to overcome obstacles worthy of awe. This is a collective resilience, that’s why we are still here.

2024 has been another incredible year, Díaz-Canel has confirmed, but the important thing - he immediately admitted - is to have overcome the test and the experiences learnt.

Inspired by the principles of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro to self-correct, to not stray from the course, timely corrections are undertaken. In this necessary adjustment, new solutions are sought for old problems. The last five years bear the marks of facing and overcoming obstacles such as COVID-19; and now it will not be different because the battle goes on.

FACING 2025

The economic environment of Cuba, the core of all problems, becomes extremely complicated; but progress is still on sight.

For 2025, 1% growth of the Gross Domestic Product is expected, reported in Parliament Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, Minister, the Minister of Economy and Planning added that after a very complex stage, actions are planned to gradually reduce the distortions of the macroeconomy.

Taking into account that the demands of entities exceed the material capacities of the economy, for next year, variants are estimated to reduce the hard currency deficit and achieve a manageable level.

The economic program in this regard must be coherent, under the principle of managing the crisis, diminishing the impacts of the economic war and striving for more in this scenario, he said.

The Minister reiterated, several priorities are established, including generating new exportable items and adding value to the current ones, in addition to promoting exports based on knowledge and high technology; as well as recovering tourist services and dynamizing others along with the flows of foreign direct investment.

The coming period may be another period of greater challenges. We are aware of what’s coming, which may be more of the same or even greater cruelty.

For Cuba there’s no other alternative. In the face of wear and tear and various problems, defiance; of course from rebellion, with energy, vitality, intransigence, strength and solidity.

That’s why the Party, the Government and society as a whole will incessantly seek results that will transform, in the shortest possible time, into a change in the living conditions of the Cuban people.