Cuba – opening speech

Honourable Chairs, fellow delegates,

The delegate of Cuba is honoured to take part in this MUN edition and would like to disclose its
position in the due topics.

The country regards accessibility to healthcare as a fundamental right of its citizens. It

focuses heavily on a preventative approach to curing and offering the simplest check-up to
the most complex surgery, free of charge. An example of the state’s willingness is that After
the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, hundreds of child victims were invited for medical care here,
where a hospital was constructed to treat them while their families set up temporar residence
near Havana. Many of them remain there today.

Regarding the vaccines, they are mandatory for every inhabitant. As mentioned, they aren’t
only seen as a basic human right, but also as an obligation. The country has developed the
first anti-cancer vaccine and has the most important University of Medical Sciences. Thus it
is no surprise, that the secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon hailed its
healthcare service as “a model for many countries”.

As the situation may seem rosy until now, there’s also another side to the country’s profile: a regular
overflowing influx of tourists and businesses will likely bring investment to the state, but the
expansion of tourism is feared, along with mechanized agriculture and oil exploration, as these could
threaten its well-preserved natural ecosystems. We could just let the soil as it is, because we have
extorted it of deposits, there have been organized cruises in areas protected by the law, excessive
fishing is happening , the corlas have been exploited excessively in commercial purposes and
therefore new zones should be declared protected by the law and the sanctions stipulated should be
roughened.

As tourism increased (3.5 million visitors coming per year, added to the population of 11 million
people), food prices are higher, there’s more food produced for the tourists than for the inhabitants
and therefore a colossal waste, as in many parts of this world. If only the food in plethora would be
transported to the people in need…

As the US want to subjugate other countries in personal interests to extinda their power in order to
create influence zones, Cuba has opposed to its measures towards it, wanting something in
exchange. It is a little country, but has had its word to be spoken. Cuba is trying to develop its
economy from communism to capitalism. The crisis due to the economic isolation has forced the
Cuban rulers to accept the capitalist measures so as to save their economy which was about to
collapse. So they have liberalized in part their services. The main incomes are due to the services.

After a long period of communism, cuba is ready to make its life better, but the government is
blocking this, in accordance with a study made by the University of Chicago.

So the Cubans have profited to the maximum of their country’s natural ‘jewells’ so as to expand
tourism.
Despite the challenges, almost every Cuban voices pride, not frustration. Also, someone who goes
there can see community, not division.