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The Protection of Human Life Supreme Underlying Principle

For over half a century now, Cuba has been working hard to reduce disaster risks, in spite of the brutal U.S. blockade

CUBA, June 21, 2010.- Climate change is reshaping the world, but the planet we inhabit is also shaken by social disasters, said Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, vice president of the Cuban Council of Ministers, during the closing Friday of the 8th International Congress on Disasters and 6th International Firefighters Conference.

The adverse natural and human-induced events have multiplied, but they have not always received the same kind of media attention.

“There are 1,02 billion hungry people, the highest figure since 1970. And with food prices bound to further rise in the coming decades an additional 550 million are expected to be besieged by severe hunger,” he said.

He added that by 2080 the number of people at risk of suffering from famine will reach 600 million, which is double the number of those who live in poverty in Africa south of the Sahara.

“Some 2 billion people will suffer from water scarcity, and most of the African region will face years of severe drought.”

He noted that poverty is severely affecting children, and that according to UNICEF, a child dies of starvation every five seconds. Climate change could bring the number of annual deaths of children under five to between 40,000 and 160,000, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

“The gap between rich and poor countries is scandalous with regards to levels of income and human poverty, but it is even higher in relation to gaining scientific, technological and innovation knowledge.”

Is the world in a position to come up with the necessary resources to deal with the disasters that are increasingly threatening the poorer countries? This is a basic problem that humanity needs to solve if it is to safeguard the future,” said Cabrisas.

He emphasized that for over half a century now, Cuba has been working hard to reduce disaster risks, because for the Cuban leadership “the protection of human life is a supreme underlying principle,” in spite the brutal U.S. blockade against the island.

Cabrisas quoted Fidel Castro, who once said that “luckily, we have a Revolution that guarantees that nobody is neglected. A strong, active and prevention-guided Civil Defense protects our people!”

“That strong Civil Defense operating everywhere in Cuba made it possible for us to confront the damage brought on by three major hurricanes in less than a month in 2008,” he said. “We do not have great economic resources, but we do have a scientific and professional potential of high qualifications, guided by a spirit of devotion and solidarity that is internationally recognized.”

Presiding over the closing ceremony were Dr. José Ramón Balaguer, minister of Public Health, Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín, Division General Ramon Pardo Guerra, head of the National Civil Defence, Dr José Miyar Barruecos, minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, and Mikhail Kamynin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Cuba, among other officials and personalities. (Cubaminrex-Juventud Rebelde)

 

 

 

 

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