Havana: A delegation of the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), led by the vice president of parliament, Ana María Mari Machado, participates in the meeting, which is held virtually due to the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic,which will run until November 4, Prensa Latina publishes,
As part of the conference, held through videoconference due to the limitations imposed by the pandemic, it is expected to discuss and make decisions on issues such as the operation, the adoption of the budget, the IPU work program for 2021 and the election of its President.
During the meeting, the president of the International Relations Commission of the national legislature, Yolanda Ferrer Gómez, will officially cease her functions in the Executive Committee of the organization, after four years of activity. She is the second parliamentarian of the Caribbean nation to integrate this directive body.
In 2003, for the first time, a deputy from the island, Kenia Serrano, held a position on the organization’s Executive Committee, although later other Cuban deputies assumed important positions, such as the aforementioned Ferrer.
This opportunity allowed the Cuban representative to participate actively during the most complex stage of the organization’s reform process and to take advantage of this space to denounce the damages caused by the blockade and the implementation of the Helms Burton law.
Other representatives of the Antillean country also held important positions in the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Currently, at the request of its directors, the president of the Cuban Parliament’s Health and Sports Commission, Cristina Luna Morales, is a member of the group of health advisers.
After the constitution of the National Assembly of People’s Power, the largest of the Antilles rejoined the IPU in 1977, during the 64th Inter-Parliamentary Conference held in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Island hosted these appointments on two occasions: the first was in 1981, when Deputy Raúl Roa García was elected president of the Conference held in Havana.
Many Western parliamentarians considered this meeting one of the most controversial in the history of the IPU, due to the great ideological confrontations. For the representatives of the Third World, the contribution of Cuba was considerable, especially the effort to join the NAM countries.
At the 105th Assembly, held in 2001, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz denounced the pressure placed on parliamentarians by the United States government to boycott the event.
Even so, this organization recognizes the achievements of Cuba and places it as the second parliament with the highest female representation in the world.