Country Fact Sheet Cuba Table of contents

Development Aid Analysis

1. Development strategy with focus on poverty reduction¹²

1. Poverty Reduction Analysis and Millennium Development Goals¹³

The “special period” forced Cuba to reduce or put a halt to foreign credit, the purchase of fuel supplies and equipment for its industry and commercial exchanges. Although it did not fall into a situation of extreme poverty, Cuba was nevertheless confronted with a crisis that involved both economic and social aspects, and whose impact is still being felt by the population.

Cuba is committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The national authorities have published two reports on MDG progress in the country (2004 and 2005) and the National Statistics Office (ONE) has just released a paper with updated statistics (see annex II with table on MDGs).

According to the MDG Monitor three goals have already been achieved, namely: delivering universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowerment of women; and reducing child mortality. The attainment of three other goals is considered likely, as progress is on track. These are: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, improving maternal health, and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Two goals – namely environmental sustainability and a global partnership for development – require further efforts.

The MDG Monitor assessment is that these goals can still be achieved if some changes are made. Although these are still challenges for the Government, it is however committed to safeguarding the environment and rationalizing the use of natural resources. Economic development and food security remain at the top of the State’s list of priorities.

The main challenge to achieving the MDGs lies in the disparities at the regional and provincial levels. The eastern provinces show the least progress and are being prioritized by national development programmes and international development assistance.

New programmes with higher strategic objectives have been introduced since 2000, including the increasing use of information technology to raise the standards of education of the population as a whole, achieve full employment, and provide personalized welfare services.

1. Development strategy of the Republic of Cuba

National medium-term development priorities are being worked out by the Ministry of Economy and Planning in the context of drawing up the 2011-2015 Plan. The Plan for this period is expected to become available during 2010 and is likely to consolidate the process that is already underway of seeking greater economic efficiency, modernisation and self-sufficiency of the Cuban economy, including through decentralisation of agriculture and smaller-scale production.

Meanwhile, short-term objectives can be extrapolated from existing government documents and official announcements, as well as from the budget submitted to the National Assembly by the Minister of Economy in December 2009. These include:

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  strengthening of the national economy;
  
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  increasing, strengthening and diversifying agricultural production;
  
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  building houses, roads, railways and restoring electrical and communications networks;
  
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  correcting distortions of the wage system;
  
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  studying the current governmental structure with the aim of gradually reducing its size and increasing its efficiency;
  
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  the Health and Education systems.
  
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  in order to improve the national economy, Government is paying special attention to:
  
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  development of agricultural production;
  
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  development of tourism;
  
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  increasing productivity;
  
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  saving resources.
  

As already mentioned, food security is regarded as the overarching national priority for the country, coupled with the protection of natural resources and adaptation to climate change, both of which are key sectors with a major impact on the social and economic development of Cuba.

These are two areas where there is a particular dynamism in terms of new initiatives and which address key challenges of major importance to the Cuban population, including access to food and the capacity to withstand extreme climate events.

Taking into consideration these two national priorities and the focus of the European Commission’s present and future cooperation with the country on food security and environment/ adaptation to climate change, a more in-depth analysis of the governmental policies in these two specific areas is presented in the EU strategy document.¹⁴

2. Actors

Not so many international NGOs are active in Cuba. However, a number of them are active in collaboration with UNDP in the context of the UN focus areas.

As for Belgian NGO cooperation, this is limited to a few organisations. FOS, linked to the Flemish Socialist Party (Spa) and trade union ABVV has been traditionally a strong player. Also Oxfam-sol and Handicap international have a number of focussed interventions. Just recently FOS went to Cuba on an identification mission for further development of a strategy for 6-years of development cooperation with Cuba. These projects will focus on social protection and insurance and local and workers organisation development.

Overview of Belgian NGO activity in Cuba¹⁵

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
11.11.11	233.268	160.000	80.000
Caritas							26.787
DMOS				5.000		5.000
Fos	95.172	200.894		815.627	389.105	415.768	430.710	651.464
G3W							28.936	14.240
Handicap Int.	182.011	259.137	192.888	165.011	232.810	437.744	591.826	1.316.579
Oxfam-Sol	869.473	831.750	803.454	594.334	192.929	356.739	395.239	715.674
Steunfonds Derde Wereld	131.940	172.884	181.822	165.895	126.025	129.700	750
Wereld-solidariteit							5.000
TOTAAL	1.511.864	1.624.665	1.258.164	1.745.867	940.869	1.344.951	1.479.248	2.697.957

3.