It is not enough to wish for a new international order; it is necessary to fight for it: Díaz-Canel at BRICS

By Leticia Martínez & Alina Perera, translated from the Spanish

RIO DE JANEIRO.- "Let us unite to promote the new international order we desire and deserve, one that guarantees peace, provides for the common good and prosperity of peoples, realizes the right to development for all countries, and is in harmony with nature." This was the call made by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during the second day of the BRICS Summit (July 7).

Under the theme "Environment, COP 30 and Global Health," the working session for member countries, partners, and guests opened its doors this Monday morning. The Cuban Head of State gave a speech in which, referring to the creation of a new international order, he stated that it must be about "solidarity, cooperation, and integration prevailing in order to confront global challenges and threats, including the environmental crisis, and promoting real solutions to eradicate hunger, poverty, and disease."

The president warned that "it's not enough to wish for it": it's necessary, he said, to fight for this new order.

He reminded those present of the "warning that Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz issued to the world 33 years ago in his historic speech at the 1992 Rio Summit": "Tomorrow will be too late," the Giant had said. President Díaz-Canel emphasized that the phrase "resonates like an echo at every summit on the subject, as the urgency of responding to these grave challenges grows. Cuba has not stopped working to provide answers. And the BRICS countries can count on us."

At the beginning of his speech, Díaz-Canel said: "Dear President Lula, congratulations on the organization and success of this BRICS Summit." He added: "Very soon, Brazil will once again bring together the peoples and governments of the world to discuss and reach agreements on crucial issues for preserving the environment and combating climate change."

“The upcoming COP30 in Belém, Amazonia, must send a clear and urgent message regarding the need to protect this ecosystem vital to global climate balance, among the many colossal challenges facing developing countries.”

The Cuban President stated that "environmental discussions are not advancing in the direction and at the speed required. Affluent societies are resisting changing their unsustainable and irrational patterns of production and consumption. Solutions are postponed, minimal commitments are made, and there is no political will on the part of those who should contribute most to solving the environmental crisis."

"No less complex," he emphasized, "are the challenges of global health. The gaps between countries and populations, the inequality in access to health services, medical supplies, and technologies, and the imposition of unilateral coercive measures exclude tens of millions of human beings from the vital right to health."

We are convinced, the President declared, "that the solution to these problems lies in upholding the principles that have brought us here, including those contained in the historic 1992 Rio Declaration."

He also highlighted the importance of acknowledging the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," which he referred to as "the outcome of a historical understanding of the obligations of this hegemonic elite toward oppressed populations."

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez stated that this is not "a mere environmental principle, but the foundation upon which international cooperation for sustainable development must be built."

“Cuba, committed to honoring its obligations, presented its Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 in February, which contains specific adaptation actions, a priority given our status as a small island developing state. This includes measures derived from sectoral policies in health programs, as well as the strengthening of monitoring and early warning systems in this area.”

The Cuban President said that "for more than 60 years, our nation has developed a policy of cooperation and training of health professionals for the Third World, and in the last two decades, the Henry Reeve Health Brigade has provided exemplary service in disaster zones. But these solidarity efforts of a small, blockaded nation, instead of being rewarded and recognized, are shamefully persecuted by the world's greatest economic power."

To his colleagues in attendance, the president stated: “The BRICS Group offers us an alternative to change the status quo which is the result of centuries of colonial exploitation, paradigms of subjugation, and archaic institutions that consolidate the economic power of the global elites, the same ones who today openly display their fascist philosophy and are complicit in the Zionist genocide against the Palestinian population.”

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez ended his speech by wishing them "success at COP 30." Following his comments, Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva expressed gratitude to Cuba for its doctors, who saved numerous lives in Brazil during President Dilma Rousseff's tenure.

Lula stated that while others export wars, Cuba exports health; and he referenced the island's healthcare system as an example.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC