Progress and challenges in the fight for equality: Cuba at the Beijing Global Leaders' Meeting on Women

Cuba's involvement in this international forum not only showcased its accomplishments in gender equality but also reaffirmed the island's dedication to the comprehensive advancement of women and girls in today's global context.

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By Katherin Hormigó Rubio, translated from the Spanish

Beijing – In the context of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, held in the Chinese capital with the slogan "One Shared Future: New and Accelerated Process for Women's All-Round Development," Cuba has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women. At the forum, the Secretary General of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) emphasized the progress made on the island over the past thirty years, especially since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, which established women's rights as a core principle of development.

Thirty years after the adoption of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which united 189 countries to advance gender equality and women's empowerment, Cuba highlighted its position as a global standard in this effort. The FMC SG stressed that, despite the economic challenges and coercive measures imposed by the United States, the country has achieved notable advancements in women's autonomy, with women being the undeniable leaders in crucial sectors of Cuban society.

In Cuba, women make up 56.7% of Parliament members, 53% of the workforce in the scientific field, and 80% of prosecutors and judges. These accomplishments highlight the equal opportunities fostered by Cuban public policies in recent years, ensuring women's active involvement in all sectors and their vital contribution to building the country's model of social justice and equity.

"Gender equality is not only a legitimate right, but an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable development with social justice," said the FMC Secretary General, calling on the international community to continue moving towards a world where the rights of women and girls are respected and promoted without discrimination.

In her speech, the Cuban representative emphasized that world peace is essential to ensuring women's rights. She noted that warmongering policies affecting different populations globally have a particularly devastating effect on women and girls, who are the primary victims in situations of armed conflict and forced displacement. "The demand for peace is not just a moral concern; it is an urgent necessity for women to advance in their personal, economic, and social development," she stressed.

Cuba used the summit as an opportunity to emphasize its support of China's leadership. President Xi Jinping of China has introduced global initiatives aimed at fostering respect for international law and peaceful coexistence among countries. The FMC expressed its willingness to collaborate with the All-China Women's Federation in creating a "Community of Shared Future", in order to strengthen the ties of political and social cooperation, and promote women's leadership in the process of socialist construction.

Cuba's participation in this international forum not only served to highlight its achievements in terms of gender equality, but also to reiterate the island's commitment to the comprehensive advancement of women and girls in the current global context. In times of global challenges, international solidarity and mutual commitment are key to continue advancing in the construction of a more just, equitable and peaceful world for all.

At the end of the summit, Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to the global pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, emphasizing its focus on SDG 5: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." Cuba, firmly advocating for women's rights and emphasizing international collaboration, reiterated that achieving gender equality is essential not only as a social requirement but also as a global development strategy.

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