Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived this Thursday at the La Guayaba neighborhood, in the Cerro municipality of the capital, to talk with neighbors and learn about the social transformations taking place in this community, where almost 3,000 people live, reported the Presidency in its Twitter profile.

As part of the transformation actions carried out in La Guayaba, the president toured the new warehouse, the pharmacy and other social works built for the benefit of the community, whose residents previously had to travel more than 3 km to access these services.

When exchanging with the neighbors, Díaz-Canel commented on families and their indisputable value as the nucleus of Cuban society, since from them the harmony of the neighborhood is also protected and defended.

It was unavoidable to talk about what will happen next Sunday in Cuba. And because precisely the Family Code is all of us, the president
He asked the community to vote for Cuban families, and with a responsible vote to support the legal text.

The Hon. Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, will make an official visit to Cuba starting this September 25.

As reported on Tuesday by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the distinguished visitor will hold official talks with Cuban authorities and carry out other activities.

Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has been President of Zimbabwe since 2017. He served as Vice President of that country from 2014 to 2017.

The Republic of Cuba and that of Zimbabwe maintain fraternal and historic diplomatic relations, which on April 20, 2022 turned 42 years old, permanently marked by mutual support and respect.

A group of young Zimbabweans are currently studying medicine in Cuba, while Cuban collaborators from the health sector work in the sister nation.

(With information from Cubaminrex)

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez arrived this morning to the La Concepción neighborhood, in the Havana municipality of La Lisa, to learn about the transformation actions being carried out with the aim of improving the quality of life of its more than 2,500 population.

Like this one, the Presidency published on Twitter, two other neighborhoods of the Arroyo Arena Popular Council are also immersed in rehabilitation work.

The installation of a telephone exchange, with 1,224 capacities, is one of the main approaches of the population to which a solution has been given.

In just over a year of continuous work in this community, streets have been paved, schools, warehouses and playgrounds restored, and work has been done on the conservation of multi-family buildings and sanitation work.

“It is a tremendous idea to link culture and sport! How many values ​​can be developed!” said the president upon arriving at the neighborhood Sports Center, a place where art and sport are promoted to educate and train.

When visiting different places in the community, Díaz-Canel insisted on the importance of participating as a group in the actions that are carried out. “We cannot let ourselves be overcome by difficulties!” He emphasized when talking with residents and managers.

Beach Project: How much has it impacted the community?

This Tuesday, the president also visited the El Bajo neighborhood, in the capital’s municipality of Playa, where the Yes Environments project is being developed.

Díaz-Canel was interested in knowing how much progress has been made in the purpose of giving social, economic and tourist use value to these areas.

Yoanka Estévez Salinas, project leader, explained to the head of state that several actors have participated in the rescue of this coastal farm, which began in June 2020 under a sustainable management plan. So far they have given employment to 42 people from the community.

The idea, explained Yoanka, is to preserve the existing infrastructure and, through comprehensive work, promote an agroecological project that links agriculture and art and that truly contributes to the community.

The key is to give people the chance to develop, Diaz-Canel said.

Where years ago the weeds grew, today you can enjoy a place – still in development – ​​that shows how much can be done when intelligence, desire to do things, commitment, nature, culture and good taste come together.

An example of how a state company can be efficient

The Cuban president visits a new project for the furniture industry in Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución. Twitter/ @PresidenciaCuba.

In the middle of the capital’s Vedado, a new project of the Cuban furniture industry comes to life, as part of which a disused warehouse-ship was restored. President Díaz-Canel arrived there this morning, the Presidency reported on his Twitter account.

In this project, designed basically for the population, the designers will interact with the clients, who will be able to find not only the options that the industry is selling, explained Antonio García, director of the Cuban furniture industry DUJO.

This is an example, highlighted the president, of how a socialist state company can be efficient. “You have to keep going and not stop!” He summoned them after touring the area and appreciating the good taste and finish of the productions arranged there.

The group waiting included university students; teachers; farmers; health workers, service workers… and also self-employed, with representation not only of young people from the capital, but from all of Cuba.

This is how they were introduced by the first secretary of the National Committee of the Young Communist League, Aylín Álvarez García, beginning of the meeting, when she expressed her certainty that “we are who must contribute, transform, support, participate…”

The meeting provided an encouraging display of sincerity and commitment, as the President of the Republic conversed for almost four hours with those present, taking notes on the comments and proposals made by a variety of participants.

Concluding the dialogue, the President commented, “For me it is clear that there are a number of challenges in society, in life today, challenges to what we want to do… Those who have the strength, the energy and the capacity (to overcome the challenges) are young people – without denying anyone’s contribution, because here everyone must participate and we must give all generations their space – but the future lies in our youth.

“I am convinced of this… I believe in our youth,” and there is always a task for the young, there is a task calling them, engaging them, because we know that if it is in your hands, it will be stronger, it will be more developed and it also engages you and provides you a space to participate, he said.

(Taken from Granma)

Undoubtedly, local development is today a public policy of strategic importance, with the Constitution itself codifying the autonomy and legal personality of provinces and municipalities, with a view toward promoting economic and social dynamics.

It is no coincidence that this year a series of legal norms has been approved to promote territorial development and better manage financing, banking, budgetary and pricing processes in local projects, without bureaucratic hurdles.

Perhaps this is why it is even more gratifying to learn that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recognized 29 Cuban municipalities with a very high rate of human development, in a report prepared in coordination with the World Economy Research Center and the participation of several Cuban institutions

Under the title “Ascenso a la raíz” (Ascent to the Root), a Local Perspective on Human Development in Cuba 2019, the recent study also indicates that the index is considered high in 51 municipalities; medium in 75 and low in only 13. Meanwhile, no province, as a general estimate, presents a low human development index, while Havana, Villa Clara, Matanzas and Pinar del Río display the best results.

The Human Development Index, developed by UNDP in 1990, has classified some 189 countries in four levels, taking into account life expectancy, education and per capita income.

Despite the obstacles of the current context, Cuba has put its human development potential and scarce economic resources to work to confront the pandemic, both at the local and national level, as well as globally, through international collaboration.

In this sense, the report also represents an opportunity for policy makers and territorial government bodies to move forward with greater autonomy and authority.

(Taken from Granma)

On his Twitter account, the president said that the prohibition of child labor is one of the elements of the right to employment in Cuba and added that the State guarantees the protection of minors and their interests, according to international law and commitments.

On the World Day against Child Labor, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also ratified on Twitter that of the 160 million children who are engaged in a kind of work activity, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), none is Cuban.

The foreign minister added that the high level of education of the Cuban population and the assistance to families guarantee childhood security.

Recently, UNICEF and the International Labor Organization (ILO) issued a report in which they warned that child labor cases rose by 8.4 million in the past four years, and at present 160 million of children are engaged in a kind of work activity.

The situation has worsened due the Covid-19 pandemic, the document indicates, and it highlights that progress to eradicate this problem was stalled for the first time in 20 years.

The text also stresses the growing number of children from 5 to 11 years of age who are engaged in child labor, which is slightly more than half of the total.

(Prensa Latina)

During an exchange with local leaders of the political grouping and mass organizations, as part of the process of continuity of the 8th Congress of the PCC, the also Cuba’s president called to move forward with their own efforts and talents, according to a television report.

The first secretary of the PCC highlighted the role to be played by the party structures in that sense, and in the implementation of the strategy for the local development of the territory, which will benefit its over 83,000 inhabitants.

To the improvement of the work of the PCC and the mass organizations, he dedicated words in the meeting, the 9th that takes place in the country to address the concepts and guidelines of the organization’s conclave, held in April.

Diaz-Canel insisted on the need to strengthen the work at the basis and that the party is really the space for frank, sincere debate and the contribution of ideas; as well as in the follow-up to the implementation of the meeting party’s agreements meeting in an accurate, precise and systematic way.

The leader said that the challenges facing Cubans include economic and ideological issues, and urged to denounce the US blockade in all scenarios, a policy that this nation has not applied even to its worst enemies, he assured.

In the face of every threat and measure taken by Washington, we will not stand idly by, the President ensured, and called for closing ranks in defense of the Cuban Revolution.

At the meeting, the members of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PCC explained the work system of each of the departments they are in charge of and stressed the importance of communication and attention to the new generations, particularly the Young Communist League organization.

 (Taken from Granma)

The proven safety of Soberana02 and SoberanaPlus has made it possible to take this step, among the first in the world, said the president on his Twitter account, where he thanked Cuban scientists for this achievement.

Cuba’s State Center for the Control of Medicines and Medical Devices (Cecmed) approved the implementation of the anti-Covid-19 clinical trial in the pediatric population with the vaccine candidates Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus on Thursday night.

This is a Phase I-II, open, adaptive and multicenter study to evaluate safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity, with a scheme of two doses of Soberana 02 and one of Soberana Plus, both developed by the Finlay Vaccines Institute.

The approval is based on the current epidemiological context, the considerable increase in the number of positive cases in the pediatric population, and on the safety and immunogenicity results of the vaccine candidates, as part of the Phase I and Phase II of clinical trials,’ said Cecmed.

This stage will be carried out at the Juan Manuel Marquez Pediatric Hospital, in Havana, with patients from three to 18 years, who will be part of a sample of 350 volunteers and must present an informed consent to participate in the study, as well as that of their parents or legal guardians.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

During the cordial meeting, both leaders highlighted the positive state of relations shared by the two countries and welcomed the recent signing of agreements for the provision of health care services, as well as the training of doctors from that African nation in Cuba.

President Díaz-Canel thanked the Kenyan government for its support to the efforts to achieve the safe return to the homeland of the two Cuban doctors abducted in the African country, in April of 2019.

The distinguished visitor was accompanied by the ambassador in Cuba representing the Republic of Kenya, Anthony Muchiri and the chief technical advisor to the First Lady’s Office, Jane Kiragu.

On the Cuban side, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and Minister of Public Health José Angel Portal Miranda were also present, as well as the director general for Bilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emilio Lozada García.

(Taken from Granma)

With this decision we are approving a framework for all actors involved in our economic panorama, which goes beyond simple recognition of them, stated the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

Noting as an essential principle guiding the process of improvement, upon introducing the subject, Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz reiterated that the state enterprise is defined as the principal actor in the national economy and, as such, must perform.
Among other principles, he recalled that the expansion of activities conducted by non-state forms of management will not lead to a broader process of privatization, since limits that cannot be exceeded have been established. “Recognizing, diversifying and strengthening the work of economic actors” is another objective of the needed improvement effort, with a view toward all economic actors functioning as defined.

Referring in particular to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, he explained that they will be part of the state and private sectors, and similar management conditions will be established for both. In the case of private companies, he explained that the list of activities which self-employed workers are not permitted to conduct will serve as a starting point to establish the arenas in which companies will operate. Initially, they will not be allowed to engage in some professional activities, including those that are approved for the self-employed, including computer programming, bookkeeping, translation and interpretation, veterinary care for pets and domestic animals, design and certain types of advisement.
The Prime Minister insisted on the importance of achieving sustained progress in the task, which must advance purposefully and gradually to avoid mistakes. “We need to move forward intelligently, to consolidate each step we take and be able to achieve sustainability.”

As part of this discussion, presented were the principal findings from the experiment conducted with non-agricultural cooperatives, initiated in March of 2012. Between 2012 and 2014, 498 cooperatives of this type were authorized.

The Prime Minister explained that the information gathered during reviews during the experimental stage indicated that, in spite of deficiencies, the viability of the approved policy was confirmed. Considering this reality, the decision was made to conclude the experiment and gradually extend the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives to all previously approved sectors, with the exception of construction.
Marrero noted that as part of the measures designed, regulations meant to improve the work of all the economic actors will be issued at the same time.

Based on this decision by the Council of Ministers, work will begin on the respective legal norms for their implementation. As progress is made in this task, the population will be provided updated information.
President Díaz-Canel emphasized that the document approved will advance improvement, as a broad and comprehensive process that provides continuity and follow-up for the Policy Guidelines approved by the 6th and 7th Congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba and reaffirmed at the 8th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba.

The steps outlined, he said, establish a framework for the country’s economic actors, which, above all, reaffirm the centrality of the state enterprise system. Based on what is approved, we will be in a better position,” he said, “to advance in certain aspects such as relieving the state of activities that are not fundamental to the economy’s performance, and make better use of the workforce, especially the highly qualified.
“We need the state sector to be more proactive, to be more efficient, to shake off some of the inertia, to be more innovative,” he emphasized. He also commented on the importance of consolidating an adequate relationship between the state sector and the non-state sector, which would allow for greater efficiency and innovation.

This improved relationship should allow forgetter use of human potential, productive capacity, experience gained and innovation.
If the process is conducted well, he said, we can successfully integrate the two sectors, strengthen the economy and speed up the country’s development. The process will be gradual, but this does not mean we will delay implementation.

It is vital that these measures reach the municipal level, to ensure that different forms of management are involved in territorial development strategies and contribute to the economic growth of localities, where projects can generate employment, increase production and provide services.
Let us definitively eliminate the obstacles that prevent our economic actors from performing with agility, with the ability to contribute to development, he emphasized.

“Here, anything that is inefficient, corrupt or illegal; anything that tends to hinder, that is not innovative or proactive, is harmful, whether it is in the state or non-state sector.”

The economy of the future and the present
Foreseeing, designing and planning were fundamental to the process of elaborating the country’s Economic Plan and State Budget for the year 2022, conditioned to a significant extent by the control being achieved of the COVID-19pandemic.

Designed within the context of monetary re-ordering, the Plan of the Economy for next year is based, in the first place, on the concept of centralized planning, stated First Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning Leticia Morales González. This implies consciously leading the process of economic and social development in the country, favoring the incorporation of all forms of property and management.

The design fundamentally projects counteracting the effects of economic deceleration; continuing to promote greater interaction between all economic actors; increasing efficiency, efficacy, productivity and innovation; as well as adhering to and continuing to work on the National Development Plan through 2030, she said

While acknowledging the complexity of making projections in such a difficult time, Morales insisted on the urgency of seeking solutions to our problems on our own. “We must work hard, we must find solutions, we must identify potential… and we must be able to reflect all of this in the Plan,” she emphasized.

The challenge is to reflect the scenario we foresee within the 2022 Plan, with both objectivity and optimism. The goal cannot be to consider what we have done, and plan to do a little more; no, the goal is to identify what we have not yet done and the capacity we have to do more, she stated.

Also on the agenda for the highest government body’s meeting was a report by the First Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning on the economy’s performance as of the end of April, a period that demonstrated the need to continue seeking untapped potential and produce more.

Production of rice, eggs and corn, she stated, surpassed projections, not the case for starchy vegetables, beans, fresh milk for the industry and pork.

She added that projected indicators of production and efficiency were not met in the sugar industry this season, evident in the backlog accumulated in cane milling.

Regarding employment, she noted that a total of 166,966 persons visited municipal labor offices in search of a job. Of the positions accepted, 55,442 were in the state sector and 50,183 in the non-state sector.

Another issue evaluated by Council of Ministers members was the progress made in implementation of the National Economic and Social Development Plan through 2030, a guiding document for the National Planning System, which directs development efforts with a view toward eliminating structural imbalances in the economy with a strategic vision and closely articulated with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

Serving the vulnerable, wherever needed
Later in the meeting, Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera presented policy proposals to strengthen prevention and social work in neighborhoods, and for support to individuals, families and households, as well as groups and communities in situations of social vulnerability.

As an essential aspect, the Minister commented on support offered to the necessary transformation of preventative social work at the community level, as the most important link. This policy involves recovering the founding principles of social work based on Comandante en jefe Fidel Castro’s conception of preventing, assisting and transforming, thus addressing the full scope of needed action, currently organized at the national, provincial and municipal levels.
She explained that, on the basis of experience gained, the Ministry has identified the need to transform work currently conducted by social workers and recover the original conception of social prevention, particularly in attention to adolescents and focused follow-up on community efforts.
Referring to the second document, she explained that its objective is to raise the quality of social services to address situations of social vulnerability, improve, diversify and broaden protection provided by Social Assistance and its services, including the participation of diverse actors.

Regarding both policies, which were approved by the Council of Ministers, Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waug, emphasized that they constitute fundamental tools that should facilitate local analyses and the adoption of necessary measures to guide programs implemented in each territory.

This community work, today more than ever, is essential, she stated. Hence her insistence on including, among actions taken, the projection of social research and coherent work in neighborhoods.

The effects of drought in Cuba
As part of the day’s agenda, the president of the National Institute of Water Resources, Antonio Rodríguez, presented an update on the current nationwide drought, reporting that, between December 2020 and April 2021, rainfall on the island has reached only 54% of the average for this period.

The lowest provincial accumulations over the last four months were recorded in Havana, Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus, all with precipitation below 30% of the historic average. Additionally, Mayabeque, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Matanzas and Villa Clara recorded between 30% and 50%.

These low precipitation levels, he noted, have produced an increase in the number of areas impacted by the drought. At the end of November 2020, 13% of the country’s municipalities were suffering the effects of limited rainfall, and by the end of March 2021 the figure reached 45%.

Nationwide, 552,852 persons are affected by the drought. The populations of Havana, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey and Guantánamo account for 81% of the total.

In order to alleviate the impact on the population, action being taken to maintain and improve pipelines and networks, construct interconnections between systems, increase the number of pumping stations, and drill wells, among other efforts, which have improved service to more than 780,260 inhabitants, principally in the provinces of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Las Tunas and Guantánamo, Camagüey and Artemisa.

He recalled that, during the 2003-2005 period, a severe drought affected some
Two million people in the country, a figure that was reduced between 2020 and 2021 to about 500,000, as a result of investments made in the water sector nationwide.
Government work in Sancti Spíritus

As the last item on the agenda and in compliance with provisions established in the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the governor of Sancti Spiritus, Teresita Romero Rodríguez, presented an accountability report on her administration’s work in the province, the first to conduct this process before the Council of Ministers.

Many actions have been taken, she stated, to improve the populations’ quality of life in the midst of the complex situation the nation is facing, as a result of the escalation of the unjust economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. government on Cuba; damage caused by three severe meteorological events in the province; and the great effort required to confront the COVID-19 epidemic.

Among principal priorities during 2020 and 2021, the Governor identified work to support the food program in the territory. Other programs such as health and education have also been prioritized, while progress was made in the computerization of society and in meeting objectives established in provincial housing policy.

In order to continue advancing in the government’s effectiveness, Governor Romero cited several arenas which require more work. Among these, she emphasized follow-up on the implementation of monetary re-ordering; the identification of untapped potential to generate income for the local budget, as well as the control of expenses and their destinations; improving the quality of services provided the population; and promoting local development projects, in accordance with strategic lines approved in each municipality.

Several members of the Council of Ministers offered their opinions and suggestions for the government’s future efforts in this central territory, which faces a period of much work, learning, and overcoming challenges, in order to increasingly improve the population’s quality of life, and the body approved the Governor’s accountability report and the Resolution proposed in this regard.

(Taken from Granma)