Cuban president talks with high-level UN official

Havana, October 19 (RHC)-- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel met on Wednesday with Natalia Kanem, UN assistant secretary general and executive director of the UN Population Fund, who is attending the Cuba Health 2022 international convention in Havana.

Welcoming her at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, the President said that this visit marks an important moment in the island's relations with the UN Population Fund and thanked the organization for all its cooperation.

He highlighted in particular the support in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, on the occasion of the recent passage of Hurricane Ian, in the advice and exchange of information on demographic issues in Cuba and in programs for the care of children and adolescents and people in vulnerable situations.

He also thanked the United Nations for its historic support in the struggle of Cubans against the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade for more than six decades and ratified the island's commitment to all the agreements of the International Conference on Population and in the fulfillment of the 20-30 development agenda.

In this regard, Díaz-Canel explained to the high official the efforts made by Cuba in demographic matters, and in popular participation, democracy and social justice, whose most recent example was the approval in referendum of the Code of Families, a very advanced legal text on this matter.

For her part, Natalia Kanem conveyed to the Cuban president greetings from the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterrez, and expressed her interest in continuing to support the work of the Population Fund in Cuba.

In this regard, she recalled that the funds earmarked for collaboration with the island have been doubled, which this year will amount to 1.4 million dollars, and insisted on increasing exchanges with authorities and specialists from the Caribbean nation, taking advantage of Cuba's experiences in the field of medicine and the provision of these services at the international level.

She also highlighted the efforts made by the island in the care of children and the elderly, which she witnessed during visits to several centers for these social sectors in this capital.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anayansi Rodríguez, as well as executives of the representation of the Population Fund in Cuba, among other officials.