Cuba at the United Nations

Cuba has 4 permanent missions to international organizations (UN / New York; UN / Geneva; FAO-WFP-IFAD / Rome and UNESCO / Paris). In addition, it has 3 bilateral missions that have a high multilateral component: Embassy of Cuba in the Netherlands (OPCW); Embassy of Cuba in Austria (IAEA, UNIDO, UNODC); and Embassy of Cuba in Kenya (UNEP, UN-HABITAT).

There are 7 international organizations that have representation in Cuba:

• United Nations Development Program (UNDP);
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);
• World Food Program (WFP);
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – acts as a regional office for Culture;
• Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO);
• United Nations Children’s Fund (or UNICEF according to abbreviationfinder)

Cuba belongs to the following entities of the United Nations System, among organizations, organizations and specialized agencies:

1. Founding member of the United Nations (UN).
2. Founding member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
3. Member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), since 1997.
4. Member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), since 1966.
5. Member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), since 1949.
6. Founding member of the International Labor Organization (ILO) (1919).
7. He joined the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in 1950.
8. He joined the ICPO / INTERPOL in 1952.
9. Member of the World Health Organization (WHO), since 1950.
10. Member of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (1925).
11. Member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), since 1918.
12. Member of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), since 1947.
13. Member of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), since 1945.
14. Member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), since 1975.
15. Member of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), since 1975.
16. Founding member of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), since [[1964].
17. He entered the Conference on Disarmament in 1979.
18. Founding member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), since 1995.

Cuba belongs to the following organs of the United Nations:

• Founding member of the Human Rights Council; Cuban membership ended in May 2009.
• Member of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Cuban membership ended on December 31, 2008.
• Member of the following subsidiary bodies of the UN General Assembly:
  • Joint Inspection Board: Even Fontaine Ortiz (until December 2012).
  • Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (until December 2011)
• Member of the following subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC:
  • Commission on Narcotic Drugs (until 2011)
  • Science and Technology Commission (until 2010)
  • Commission on Sustainable Development (until 2012)
  • Commission on the Juridical and Social Condition of Women (until 2011)
  • Commission for Social Development (until 2011)
  • Program and Coordination Committee (CPC) (until 2011)
  • Committee in charge of Non-Governmental Organizations (until 2011)
  • Executive Board of the World Food Program (WFP) (until 2010)

Cuba has representatives in the following Treaty Bodies and Human Rights Experts:

1. Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in the person of Magalys Arocha Domínguez (until 2012).
2. Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council, in the person of Professor Miguel Alfonso Martínez (until March 2009). He holds the presidency of the organ.

Cuba is a member of the following executive bodies of the specialized organizations and agencies of the United Nations System that are listed below:

1. ILO Governing Body as deputy member (until 2011)
2. FAO Council (until 2011)
3. UNESCO Executive Council (until 2011)
4. PAHO Executive Council (until 2008)
5. Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union (UPU): 2008-2011
6. Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (until 2010)
7. Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) (until 2008)
8. Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO – 2009)

Additionally, Cuba has been elected by acclamation and, as of 2009, integrates the following subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC:

1. Executive Board United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (until 2011)
2. Sustainable Development Commission (until 2012)
3. Commission on Population and Development (until 2013)
4. Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission (until 2011)
5. UNICEF Executive Board (until 2011)

Other programs

Various specialized programs, funds and agencies are also found within the United Nations System.

To maintain the activities of this System, there is a budget that is established every two years. The budget for the period 2002-2003 is 2,625 million dollars and it comes mainly from quotas established to the Member States.

Currently, in order to increase the effectiveness of the Organization, various proposals have been made to reform the United Nations, many of which have been carried out, achieving greater savings in resources and a better performance of the Organization’s work.