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STATEMENT BY MR. JORGE CUMBERBATCH, I SECRETARY, DELEGATE OF CUBA TO THE V COMMITTEE. MAIN PART OF THE 64th SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
AGENDA ITEM 134: “IMPROVING THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS”
NEW YORK, 23 OCTOBER 2009

Mr. President,

First and foremost, my delegation would like to thank Mrs. Angela Kane, Under- Secretary-General for Management, for the information provided last 16 October on the financial situation of the Organization.

Likewise, we endorse the statements made by the distinguished delegation of Sudan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and by Mexico on behalf of the Rio Group. However, there are some considerations our delegation would like to make in our national capacity.

Mr. President,

Even though we are explained that the financial picture of our organization is “mixed”, it does not differ highly from those in previous years. The main contributor, which benefits the most from the distortion in the calculation of the scale of assessments, is responsible for 93% of the unpaid contributions to the regular budget of the United Nations. It is also liable for important debts to peace-keeping operations and international tribunals.

The charts showed to us speak for themselves. They contradict those pieces of information which announced with great fanfare that its bills had been paid. The truth is that the major contributor owes the organization $1 315 million, and it is not known yet whether it has met its obligations to the Capital Master Plan.

Meanwhile, a group of delegations make enormous efforts to meet our financial obligations to the United Nations, amidst an unjust international order afflicted by multiple simultaneous crises, as a result of disastrous neoliberal policies imposed by a few amassing most of the wealth generated in today’s world.

Mr. President,

Our country’s commitment to multilateralism is not only manifested through the active participation of Cuba in the deliberations at the different UN instances, but also through the fulfillment of its financial obligations.

Despite the obstacles imposed by the application of the US cruel and illegal policy of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba; the enormous losses caused by the last hurricane season; and the terrible consequences of the current financial crisis generated by the disorder of the globalized neoliberal capitalism, our country keeps updated contributions to the UN Regular Budget, the Capital Master Plan, and International Tribunals; and has practically settled its obligations to the Peacekeeping Operations for the current segment.

Mr. President,

The tightening of actions under the blockade against the Cuban bank and financial system continues to affect our payments to the United Nations system.

For Cuba, the impossibility of using US dollars in all its international transactions, including the payments to international organizations, causes that our money transfers are constantly subject to the market currency fluctuations, which has a negative impact on our capacity to pay. Additionally, we face obstacles in making our contributions to the United Nations, as we have to use a third country to carry out the transactions.

Some examples will clarify our statements. The Cuban Industrial Property Office is prevented from paying the international patent applications to the Office of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. Swiss banks Credit Suisse Bank and UBS refused to carry out the operations they were requested, as a result of the extra-territorial implementation of the provisions of the blockade.

As it is well known, most of the international organizations accredited in Geneva have open accounts in UBS bank to receive the contributions to their budgets. The United States imposed a sanction on this Swiss financial institution of 100 million dollars, implementing its coercive policy against our Island.

On February this year, a British bank, with a branch in a Latin American country, refused to accept a transference of 2 000 dollars from Cuba aimed at making a contribution to an international organization, putting as an excuse the restrictions imposed by the blockade. A month later, in March 2009, due to the same reasons, a European bank rejected a payment in Euros, requested by a Cuban bank company in favor of an international organization with an account in a Latin American country.

We wonder what is being pursued by trying to silence the Cuban voice in the multilateral institutions. It seems that, after 50 years of Revolution, some still do not get used to the idea of an independent and sovereign Island of Cuba.

Mr. President,

The general debate on the financial situation of the organization serves as a prelude to the deliberations on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011, to take place next week.

Allow us to take this opportunity to reiterate our delegation’s concern over the existing imbalance in the use of the resources available to the UN. We wish to insist in the need to reorient the works of the United Nations in favor of the activities related to the economic and social development of our peoples. That will be the best guarantee of peace and security in the 21st century.

Mr. President,

Finally, my delegation wishes to reaffirm the readiness and political will of our country to meet its financial obligations on time, in full and without conditions.

We reiterate that the political support of the Member States of the United Nations must also be expressed through the fulfillment of their legal obligations to contribute to the funding of the Organization.

Thank you.

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