HEALTH: Castro Praises UN Contribution

By Gustavo Capdevila Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, May 14 1998 (IPS) - Addressing the 50th World Health Assembly Thursday, Cuban President Fidel Castro defended the United Nations’ role in the social sphere, and invited the international community to engage in an “optimistic” struggle against the world’s pressing problems.

Castro mentioned the majority of the UN agencies “combatted by those who wish to wipe from the face of the earth the noble ideas that inspired the creation of the United Nations.”

The main attacks, according to Castro, have come in the past few years from conservative sectors in the United States, which have also opposed the settling of the U.S. debt to the world body.

Castro’s speech stressed the social contribution made by the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) – ironically the UN agency traditionally headed by U.S. officials. He paid homage to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, which have helped save the lives of hundreds of millions of children and millions of mothers while alleviating suffering.

UN ideals have decisively contributed to forging a universal awareness of the serious problems facing the world today, and the big challenges that lie ahead, he said.

Castro’s speech, which denounced the inequalities that relegate poverty and illness to Third World peoples, was loudly applauded by the delegates to this week’s World Health Assembly, which opened Monday.

Apart from the enormous gap in the quality of life, inhabitants of rich countries live 12 years more on average than people in poor nations, he pointed out, while within some countries there is an up to 35 year difference in life expectancy for the rich and poor.

In the sphere of maternal-infant health alone, in spite of the efforts of the WHO and UNICEF, more than 600 million children and 25 million mothers have needlessly died in the past 50 years simply due to lack of healthcare, he stressed.

In the ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the WHO, Castro highlighted the conquests in the field of health achieved by Cuba, “in spite of the cruel blockade suffered for close to 40 years.”

Castro said the solution to the world’s pressing problems could not lie in “the blind and uncontrollable laws of the market, neoliberal globalisation, in an economy that devours man and destroys nature.”

The WHO is fighting heroically against that reality, said Castro. With respect to Cuba, “the genocide attempt against our people has made us multiply our forces and our will to survive.”

“The world must also fight and win,” he added.

Castro, who reached Geneva Wednesday, will stay in Switzerland until next Thursday. His itinerary includes interviews with local authorities in Berne, the capital, meetings with the press, public conferences and participation in a three-day ministerial level meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) next week, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the multilateral system of commerce.

U.S. President Bill Clinton will participate in a special session of the ministerial conference Monday. WTO sources said Castro and Clinton would not meet during their stay in Geneva.

Castro also attended an evening session of the World Health Assembly Thursday in which U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton was awarded a prize for her concern with public health.