The presentation to the national press of the Third Report of Cuba on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in 2000, became an opportunity for UN officials to reiterate the organization’s recognition towards the island for having met most of these goals before the deadline.

The representatives in Havana of the UNESCO, Herman van Hooff; the UNICEF, José Juan Ortiz Bru; and the World Food Program (WFP), Sonsoles Ruedas, highlighted the government's political will to prioritize the well-being of the population, in the midst of the harsh economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States for half a century now.

Van Hooff described as very encouraging the fact that universalizing primary education is a reality in the Caribbean island, because, as pointed out in the report, registration in this educational level since the 1990s represents about 100 percent of the population in the age bracket established for that level, that is, from six to eleven.

Van Hooff, who is also the Director of the Regional Culture Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UNESCO, praised the fact that the country's educational policy centers its efforts on increasing the quality of learning, and recalled the results obtained by Cuban children in the Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (SERCE), led by the Latin American Laboratory for Quality Assessment in 2006.

For his part, Ortiz Bru highlighted the climate of equity and justice with which Cuban authorities apply the Millennium Development Goals adopted by heads of state and government at the Millennium Summit in 2000.

Some of these objectives are aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, reducing infant mortality in children less than five years of age, improving maternal health, and fighting HIV / AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

The UNICEF representative in Havana urged the international community and social scientists to study the Cuban experience due to its validity, in addition to the respect for sovereignty and self-determination every country deserves.

Sonsoles Ruedas, on behalf of the World Food Program (WFP) on the island, reiterated that most of the MDGs had been met before they were formulated, thanks to priorities established by the government.

Recently, the UN Secretary General himself, Ban Ki-Moon, described as impressive the results of the efforts made by the over 11 million Cubans, who, with more values than resources, have made the dream of the impossible come true.

Translated by Daysi Olano

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