The UNESCO Chapter of the Group of 77 and China on Tuesday recognized Cuba for the successful holding in September in Havana of the Summit of the heads of state and government of the bloc, according to Prensa Latina news agency in Paris.
Palestinian Ambassador Mounir Anastas, who chairs the Group at the headquarters of the multilateral body, said: “We express our warm thanks to President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Cuban government for hosting last month’s meeting devoted to science, technology and innovation”.
Cuba organized on September 15 and 16 the great forum of the Group, made up of 134 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, in which they expressed in a final declaration their commitment to strengthen unity and full respect for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
The bloc expressed concern about the prevailing unjust international order and its impact on developing countries, advocated the promotion of South-South cooperation, including in the scientific and technological fields, and defended the urgency of a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture.
In the continuation of the debates of the 217th session of the Executive Council, the Palestinian ambassador to Unesco reiterated alarming statistics cited by the Cuban leader at the Havana Summit, such as the fact that 84 million children are at risk of being left out of the classroom this year and that 660 million human beings lack electricity.
In his speech, Anastas highlighted the scope of the Group of 77 and China, which represents 80 percent of the world’s population.
He also acknowledged Unesco’s efforts and reiterated the bloc’s support for actions framed within the organization’s global priorities: Africa and gender equity.
“We also appreciate in the Group the work of accompanying developing countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he added.
