June 17, 2026 from Paris
María Carmen Herrera at the UNESCO conference in Paris
A sharp blockade of the United States and its warmongering threats hinder efforts to fulfill commitments to the safeguarding of cultural heritage, Cuba clarified today during a UNESCO,
The ambassador of the Caribbean country to UNESCO, María Carmen Herrera, affirmed that Cuba gives special priority to the intangible heritage, as an expression of sovereignty, national identity and defense of the cultural wealth of the nation.
However, these efforts are developed in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, due to the iron economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States for more than six decades, the diplomat said.
Herrera stressed that in recent years that siege was reinforced at extreme levels, particularly since measures taken in January and May 2026, aimed at completely blocking the supply of fuels to the country and hindering Cuba’s economic, commercial and financial links with the world.
All this, in addition, in a context of an explicit threat of military aggression against the country, added the ambassador to the plenary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The consequences reach directly to the cultural sector, and affect the operation of houses of culture, museums, archives, research centers and community spaces where traditional knowledge, techniques and practices are transmitted.
This also hinders the acquisition of equipment, materials and indispensable inputs for the documentation, investigation, preservation and promotion of living heritage, the Caribbean diplomat stressed.
This also imposes barriers to the development of international cooperation that this Convention promotes, she said.
Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage requires living communities, active transmission spaces and minimal material conditions to ensure the continuity of their cultural expressions, he said.
Herrera recalled that in 2024, “we celebrated the multinational registration of traditional knowledge and practices for the elaboration and consumption of the casabe, together with 4 countries in our region.”
In December 2025, the Practice of the Cuban Son was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, she added.
Source: Prensa Latina, translation Ed Newman, Radio Havana Cuba