Cuba Denounces U.S. Financial Blackmail at UNESCO

Paris, Mar 2. – Cuba denounced the crisis faced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) due to the withholding of payment and the financial blackmail of the United States, the main taxpayer of the entity.

Addressing the organization's Executive Council, Cuban representative Juan Antonio Fernandez talked abaout the situation created since Washington took reprisals against the UNESCO for the transcendental decision to include Palestine among its member countries.

The UNESCO is going through a non-payment crisis that prevents it from fully complying with commitments and causes a significant budgetary deficit, Fernandez said.

Cuba, despite being a small, poor and blockaded country, has already complied with the prompt payment of its contribution to the organization's 2012 budget, as well as a modest voluntary contribution to the Operation Fund, the Cuban official stated.

Cuba has recognized the work and dedication of UNESCO General Director Irina Bokova to continue leading the organization at difficult times.

The Cuban ambassador described the saving in administrative costs as commendable, stating that this should be a continuous and permanent effort for better efficacy and efficiency.

Budgetary reductions seem to be applied almost with an identical standard for each sector of the program, a false egalitarianism that involves an enormous injustice and devastating impacts on those sectors with less finance.(Prensa Latina)