Santa Marta, Colombia, Nov. 7 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban delegation attending the Latin America and Caribbean-European Union Civil Society Forum held here will defend the right to live without coercive measures, one of its members affirmed here today.
According to Norma Goicochea, president of the Cuban Association of the United Nations (ACNU), who spoke to Prensa Latina, representatives of the Caribbean nation will advocate for an end to the blockade imposed by the United States and will call for respect for the rights of Cuban families and all members of the population.
He added that the delegates will also denounce Cuba’s inclusion on the list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism and will seek solidarity to remove the Caribbean territory from that designation, which he described as illegal.
The official stated that they are attending the meeting with the aim of establishing links and further strengthening cooperation with civil society organizations in Latin America and Europe because there are many common points on which they can work together.
“We also believe that the forum should include statements that take into account the realities of our regions,” he noted.
Half a dozen delegates attend the meeting representing the Cuban Society of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians, the coordinator of the Network of Men Who Have Sex with Men, a member of the secretariat of the National Association of the Blind, and a member of the Martin Luther King Center.
Goicochea acknowledged that although it is a small group, it reflects the Cuban citizenry which, he stressed, is “plural, diverse, committed to the country project and which acts under the first article of the unitary Constitution with all and for the good of all.”
Colombia’s Foreign Minister, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, led today’s opening session of the Latin America and Caribbean-European Union Civil Society Forum, a space that seeks to strengthen citizen participation in global decisions.
The meeting, which concludes tomorrow and is being held at the Irotama Hotel, constitutes a space for dialogue prior to the celebration of the IV Celac-EU Summit, which will officially take place next Sunday the 9th with the attendance of 62 delegations representing both blocs.
Representatives of indigenous peoples, youth organizations, feminist movements and activists from the Lgbtq+ community, Afro-descendant leaders, as well as networks, platforms and non-governmental organizations, are invited to this meeting of civil society.
According to reports, the participants will put their conclusions into a Joint Declaration of Civil Society, which will be presented to the heads of state and government during the IV CELAC-EU Summit.
arc/ifs
