New York, 8 December 2021. Cuba is a socialist state governed by the rule of law; its laws provide for the mechanisms and forms in which popular participation in public affairs is made effective.
The exercise of democracy in Cuba is not limited to the moment of elections: it is an exercise of participation and active support of the population to the government, which has the special characteristic of being a genuine and permanent popular cooperation.
The preparation, consultation and popular ratification of the new Constitution of the Republic was an example of participation and democracy in the conduct of public affairs. The draft Constitution was submitted to a very broad process of popular consultation, which underwent 60 percent of modifications, based on this consultation process. Finally, it was ratified in a popular referendum with the favorable vote of 86.85 percent of the voters.
This Constitution enshrines the main human rights enjoyed by Cubans: access to information, cultural rights and access to art and culture, the right to education, the right to health, and the right to equality.
On the other hand, freedoms are fully recognized and protected by the Constitution: freedom of opinion, expression and press; religious freedom; trade union freedoms.
In Cuba, the spaces for the full exercise of all rights continue to be strengthened, and the solution to the challenges faced by the nation in the area of human rights continues.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations
