UN expert recognizes Cuba’s solidarity facing COVID-19

UN expert recognizes Cuba’s solidarity facing COVID-19
HAVANA, Cuba, July 10 (ACN) Obiora Okafor, independent expert of the UN on Human Rights and International Solidarity, recognized the help given by Cuba to other countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interactive dialogue within the framework of the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, Okafor highlighted in particular the work of the medical brigades sent by the Caribbean nation to countries on several continents to combat the pandemic, the Cuban foreign ministry published Thursday on its website.
The UN expert stressed that the current scenario of affectations and death imposed by the infectious disease – with more than 555, 000 deaths in the world – demands international solidarity and cooperation as never before.
He added that COVID-19 threatens human rights, including the rights to life, education and work, and shows how human beings and societies are interconnected and share vulnerabilities.
For his part, Cuban diplomat Jairo Rodriguez, speaking at the forum, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to international cooperation, which he described as the only way to address this and other systemic crises.
Rodriguez pointed out at the Human Rights Council that Cuba has sent more than 40 medical brigades, made up of almost 3,500 health professionals, to countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.