At the meeting, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Commission of the Cuban Color Program, in collaboration with the Cuban Association of the United Nations, the island’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ines Maria Chapman, affirmed the previous day that the government’s objective is to eradicate racism from society and that various actions are being taken to achieve this.

Chapman also commented that several laws, training for managers, an Observatory, territorial workshops, and different community projects are helping to combat this and other forms of discrimination.

This shows the state’s political will, she noted, and insisted that denying racism is to betray its heritage.

The State has a duty to create policies and be accountable: every step we take brings us closer to the Cuba we deserve, he stated.

According to a report in the Granma newspaper, the dialogue is part of Cuba’s preparations for its hearing before the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Caribbean nation has already undergone similar hearings (2011 and 2018) and this time is attending “in better conditions, since a program and a commission at the highest political level have been created, and the legal and institutional framework has been strengthened, which has a positive impact on human rights.”

jdt/mem/raj