Madame Chairperson:

First and foremost, I would like to express heartfelt congratulations from the Government of the Republic of Cuba on your election as Chairwoman of the 59^th Session of the Commission on Human Rights. This is not only an important recognition by the international community of your fruitful record and your proven professional competence, but also – and particularly – an indication that the arrogance and the designs of hegemonic domination can be defeated at this Commission when there is unity and a spirit of cooperation among the overwhelming majority of its members. We hope that our decision of electing you, against the stubborn opposition and pressures of the US delegation, will not turn the Commission on Human Rights into another "dark corner of the world."

I likewise extend our congratulations to Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello on his appointment as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He will have a tough assignment at the most perilous and complex moment in the history of this Commission. From now on, I assure you that you can count on Cuba and on its willingness to fully cooperate to the success of your duties.

Madame Chairperson:

The world has changed dramatically over the last year. More than half a century of unquestionable experiences and contributions by the United Nations and the multilateral system established at the end of the Second World War are being subjected to an unjust and unnecessary humiliation and are heading for destruction.

We must be straightforward in such recognition: the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is at the risk of becoming dead letter precisely on the 55^th anniversary of its proclamation. Let us recall that the farsighted writers of the text that heralded a milestone in the collective aspiration of building a world of freedom, justice and peace set forth in Article 28 the recognition of the right of each person to the establishment of a social and international order in which fundamental freedoms and human rights could be effectively exercised. Let us say it clearly: that order is non-existent at present and it would seem to be farther away with every passing day.

We will not insist this time on the issues that were traditionally the cause for our concerns. We will not talk today about the hypocrisy and the double standards that have been weighing down our work for years. We will not demand the profound reform and democratization in the functioning of this Commission. We will not even uphold today the right of each people to freely choose its own model of civil and political ordering and its own path towards economic and social development. We will not reiterate either the need to attach equal importance both to the defense of civil and political rights and to the promotion of the always-postponed economic, social and cultural rights. On this occasion, we are not going to pass judgment on how the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants on the planet see the fulfillment of rights contained in the Declaration, such as: "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights;" or "everyone is entitled to participate in the government of their country;" or "everyone is entitled to work;" or "everyone is entitled to education;" or "everyone is entitled to adequate living standards ensuring themselves and their family health and well-being, particularly food, dressing, housing, medical care and the necessary social services."

Although surprising, we are not going to use these minutes either to denounce the high-handed and disreputable attempt to concoct and forcefully impose a condemnation of Cuba on this Commission in order to continue justifying the genocidal blockade enforced against our people by successive US administrations for over four decades.

Our priority today must be another: to save the United Nations Organization and its collective security mechanisms from collapse; to address the deliberate lack of respect for the principles enshrined in its Charter.

Madame Chairperson:

The illegal, unjust and unnecessary aggression against Iraq, a Third World country – already ruthlessly unleashed despite the unanimous rejection of the public opinion around the world – turns the right to self-determination and the sovereignty of the peoples into a simple mirage. After such war, a new world order will have emerged in which our old aspiration for the planet to be governed by the rule of law will have been overridden by the imposition of an order governed by the rule of the empire. Not even the old allies of NATO, which for years joined the United States during the Cold War, can now elude the threat of military aggression. Could we imagine that one day the United States was going to proclaim under law the right to even invade The Hague, in the center of Europe, if any US soldiers were taken to the International Criminal Court? Could we anticipate that not even the European Union – as a wise and patient exercise of integration, visibly fragmented today – was going to be able to curb the warmongering and hegemonic designs of the US Government?

The implications of ongoing assaults on International Law, unprecedented statements and doctrines and the constant use of threats and military blackmail, as seen over the last year, are yet to be fully fathomed. A whole planet has become hostage to the whimsical decisions of an unbridled power that disregards any international commitments and acts only in conformity with its own interests and unique concept of national security. We are heading towards a new world order in which harmonization is replaced with threat and persuasion with fear. That is, Madame Chairperson, our dilemma and our challenge: to jointly face a peril menacing us all.

Now, we could ask ourselves: are there any reasons for optimism? Cuba firmly believes that there is a powerful reason to feel optimistic: in the history of mankind, great crises have always paved the way for great solutions. No tyranny or empire with hegemonic designs has managed to prevail all the time over the aspirations of justice and freedom of the peoples. It is true that on many occasions the fear of facing the mighty, discouragement and apathy, or the lack of unity, have increased the price of victory. Therefore, today, when it is still not too late, I repeat with all due respect the words that on Cuba’s behalf I expressed to the Commission last year: "Cuba considers that despite political differences among ourselves, there is, however, a common danger facing us all: the attempt to impose a world dictatorship at the service of the mighty superpower, which has clearly stated that you are either with it or against it."

Back then, the dangerous policies and actions of the current US administration were not that callously revealed – and my words could have been perceived by some as inflammatory rhetoric. Nevertheless – and unfortunately – the most recent events have just confirmed them. It is for that reason that I strongly and convincingly reiterate the appeal we made last year:

"Do not the countries in the West – which up until yesterday were allies of the United States in a bipolar world but today are victims as are we of this dangerous and unsustainable order it is trying to impose – think that the time has come to defend our rights together? Why not try to form a new alliance for a future of peace, security and justice for all? Why not try to form a coalition that will once again proclaim on its flag the aspiration of freedom, equality and brotherhood for all peoples? […] Why not think that a better world is possible?"

Cuba believes that the work of this Commission must go from the futile confrontation between the North and the South to the joint struggle for a world of peace, justice and equality – whose existence is currently endangered not only for the countries in the South but also for those in the North.

We are not alone – and we are also the majority. We count as well on the decisive support of ever-increasing sectors of the American people itself, of whose idealist and just feelings, once the truth is known, the Cuban people is aware. Are not the enormous mobilizations around the planet today really encouraging in opposition to an unnecessary and unjustifiable war against Iraq, as they also continue to oppose the imposition of a neoliberal model in a globalized world that impoverishes our countries and prevents them from dreaming of development? Does not France’s courageous position and that of other countries provide optimism for the possibility of a world governed by law and not by war?

In brief, distinguished Delegates, Cuba is appealing to collective reflection, so that we are not overcome by bewilderment and pessimism. Cuba appeals to all the members of the Commission to support the initiative that promotes a democratic and equitable international order, to support the initiative that proclaims the right of all peoples to peace. Cuba appeals to you to support the proclamation in this forum of the right to solidarity, of the need for a lasting and sustainable global solution to the problem of the foreign debt; to support the international implementation and application of the Declaration on the Right to Development. Cuba appeals to you to support the draft resolution advocating people’s participation, equality, social justice and non-discrimination as essential foundations of democracy. In sum, Cuba invites you to build a new path in the work of this Commission, to redress the practice by a handful of countries of promoting resolutions of condemnation against underdeveloped countries on the basis of selective criteria and ideologized positions that have nothing to do with the cause of human rights.

Madame Chairperson:

The world needs peace badly in order to be able to focus all of its intelligence and resources on combating the real enemies of our species: famine, poverty, underdevelopment, the destruction of the environment, illiteracy, diseases, the ever-increasing marginalization currently subduing the overwhelming majority of the population on the planet.

Let us fight together to save the United Nations Organization, to save the principles of multilateralism, to lay the groundwork for the sensible work of this Commission.

Let us build a coalition for justice and peace. Let us harmonize our efforts, above differences currently overridden by a greater peril threatening us all, so that a better world is possible – which, by the way, will not be given away to us. But our duty is to fight – and fight we will.

Thank you very much.