Cuba, a nation committed to its rights and those of the world

A small underdeveloped country subject to the worst economic, commercial and financial blockade ever imposed on any nation, Cuba can show the world, humbly but with full satisfaction and pride, its achievements in the field of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights, available to all its citizens.

The Island’s progress in health, education, scientific and technical research, culture and sports, as well as the Cuban government’s firm stand on the defense of other peoples’ sovereignty and right to racial and religious equality, against torture and discrimination, are fundamental principles of the Cuban Revolution.

The Cuban Constitution recognizes the elementary rights of every child (regardless of gender, race, social or other origin) and does not leave their protection to institutional goodwill or individual charity. The government also lays special emphasis on the education and protection of the youngest both in and out of the Island, since Cuba is a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1991.

All Cuban children attend school and receive free medical care, and the infant mortality rate was 4.9 per 1,000 live births at the end of 2020, a figure comparable only with first world nations and which places the country among the top 35 nations with an index below 5.0.

Likewise, Cuba signed in December 2006 the UN Convention in Defense of Persons with Disabilities to ensure the full exercise of their rights to social and labor equity without any form of discrimination. To this end, Cuba counts on more than 300 institutions prepared to serve people with special educational needs. Every year, nearly 1,000 Cubans with intellectual disabilities join the labor force and some 200 suffering from visual, hearing or physical-motor impairments go to the university.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) particularly praises initiatives that promote the relationship between schools and communities, such as La Colmenita, "a children's theater company that brings together children and adolescents with skills for theater and music, as evidence of the key role that art and community play in the inclusion of students with disabilities.”

As to gender equality and non-discrimination against women, Cuba ranks second in the world in terms of the number of female parliamentarians (53.22% of the National Assembly; 47% of the Council of State; and 78% of prosecutors, judges and other positions within the Ministry of Justice).

As a member state of 44 international human rights instruments, Cuba has also raised its voice against any form of torture prevailing in the world and in favor of the elimination of all expressions of racial discrimination.

The new Constitution of the Republic of 2019 states that all persons are equal before the law, receive the same protection and treatment from the authorities, and enjoy the same rights, freedoms and opportunities. Suffice it to mention that 41% of the members of Parliament, including its president, are black or mestizo, as are other members of the top leadership.

Notwithstanding this reality, the U.S. government once again listed Cuba among the nations that violate human rights, as part of a global campaign of interference and discredit unleashed against Havana that includes false accusations against the presence of Cuban doctors around the world, described as human trafficking by the U.S. government.