Cuba and the World Governments Summit 2024
The sharing of insights and tech gains across cultures and ideologies
A Cuban delegation headed by Prime Minister Manual Marrero Cruz participated in the ninth World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from February 12-14, 2024. Cuban participation in the Summit was a reflection of its commitment to the principle that governments, organizations, leaders, and intellectuals from all over the world ought to engage in sustained dialogue across civilizations, in spite of differences in ideologies and political-economic systems, seeking a greater understanding of and practical solutions to the common problems that humanity confronts.
The World Governments Summit was established in 2013 under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. The annual summits seek to promote cutting-edge governmental innovation through exchanges among policy makers, businesses, civil society organizations, and intellectuals. The Summit seeks to develop tools, policies, and models essential for governments of the future. The forum addresses many themes, such as citizen participation, digital government, the Objectives of Sustainable Development, climate change, food security, social reconciliation following conflicts, fiscal policy, social wellbeing, and human happiness.
More than 120 governmental delegations, 85 international organizations, and some 4,000 experts participated in the 2024 Summit, which included many presentations on artificial intelligence. It was the third summit attended by a Cuban delegation, and the first to be headed by a high-level official.
Cuba brings to the Summit its practice of constant dialogue between government and scientists combined with the legacy of the teachings of Fidel, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution. The practice was forged with greater clarity and maturity by President Miguel-Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz during the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience enables Cuba to offer to the world a comprehensive social, scientific, political, and health response to disease.
Yuniel Labacena Romero of the Cuban daily Granma reported that many of the presentations for three days defended the principal of the shared responsibility of governments in the creation of a future world that is resilient and prosperous, as well as the importance of innovative governance and international collaboration.
One of the participants in the Cuban delegation was Nancy Acosta Hernández, head of the Department of Attention to Local Administration of People’s Power. She characterized the dialogues in the roundtables, forums, and conferences as “rich, diverse, and useful.” She brings away from the Summit tools for constructing networks of support to facilitate governmental leadership as well as contacts for future cooperation and collaboration.
Armando Rodríguez Batista, Vice-Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment, observed that the perspective of many of the presentations was consistent with what Cuba is doing: “constructing governance from science, technology, and innovation, with the participation of all the actors.” He noted that Cuban innovation is inclusive, in that all the actors participate, not only universities and research centers, but also public companies, private enterprises, scientific societies, and mass organizations and civil society.
Rodríguez observed that he takes away from the conference three elements that have relevance to Cuba. The first is that there is a consensus concerning the key role of the government in development. This is very important in a global context defined by the prevalence of neoliberalism and rhetoric opposed to governments playing a role in directing public policies. The discourse of the Summit validates the Cuban model of governance characterized by state-directed development with the participation of all.
A second element from the Summit, Rodríguez pointed out, is the fact that the knowledge of experts is essential for the direction of public policies. He noted that Cuba has a system of governmental management based in science and innovation, which has been recognized not only with respect to the confrontation with COVID-19, but in all that the government does in the country. In Cuba, “science is the bastion of public policies.”
And the third takeaway element from the Summit is that one must increasingly apply opportunities made available by technologies, such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, 4.0 industry, and nanoscience and nanotechnology, with the objective of making government more efficient and more advanced in public management.
The experience of the Cuban delegation in the Summit, Rodríguez declared, has shown that the ideas that we are promoting in Cuba are consistent with what is happening in the world. At the same time, we have clearly seen at the Summit that tools are available today for training governmental actors and for promoting technological undertakings.
On February 12, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz addressed the Summit. Following introductory courtesies, the Prime Minister launched immediately into the central issues with respect to science and technology from the perspective of the Cuban Revolution.
“Humanity has reached an unimaginable scientific-technical potential; yet never before has the world been so unequal and inequality so profound.
“A new, more just, democratic and reasonable international order would be able to ensure decent living standards for current and future generations.
“The current multidimensional crisis in the world is aggravated by geopolitical conflicts and wars for control of natural resources, which are serious threats to human survival.”
He later observed, “It is not acceptable that in the midst of the most colossal scientific-technological development of all times, the world has retroceded three decades in the reduction of poverty and hunger, . . . with more than 84 million children not in school, and more than 660 million persons without electricity.”
The Cuban Prime Minister maintained that the issue of science, technology, and innovation is an essential component of political discussion related to development. For this reason, Cuba, in its capacity as President pro tempore of the G-77 and China, included in the agenda a substantive debate on the role of science, technology, and innovation in the context of the present enormous challenges with respect to development. As a result, the Declaration of the 2023 Summit of G-77 and China includes several practical actions for facing the acute problems of development from the perspective of the South.
“Havana: Capital of the Global South: Technological development of, by, and for the South,” September 20, 2023
Marrero Cruz addressed the issue of Artificial Intelligence, which “will have increasingly greater repercussions in all aspects of our lives, and we have to prepare ourselves for it.” He observed that artificial intelligence offers enormous possibilities with respect to sustainable development and the promotion of human rights. But at the same time, artificial intelligence and technologies of information and communication give rise to great challenges that have not yet been totally addressed, such as their use for criminal ends or for discourses of hate and violence.
It is necessary, the Prime Minister declared, that all actors have consciousness of the ethical dimension in the use of these technologies. Global discussion is needed with respect to regulation, international governance, and other key questions. Financing without conditions for investment is needed for the development of technological infrastructure and services, training, and technology transfer, in order to increase the capacity for science, technology, and innovation in our countries.
Marrero Cruz declared the need to overcome high concentration in advanced technologies of digital production, noting that only ten countries have 90% of the world’s patents in this area. Moreover, “the growing privatization of knowledge ought to cease, since it puts limitations on progress and on scientific solutions to problems, and it aggravates the socioeconomic conditions of countries in development.”
The Cuban Prime Minister explained to the Summit that Cuba has developed a system in which science and innovation are the fundamental pillars in the management of the government. The Cuban system “intends a systematic dialogue among scientists, experts, and academics with the government; as well as interaction with remaining social actors in order to ensure that science and innovation fulfill the social functions that the country requires for its development.”
He stressed the importance of international solidarity and cooperation. “We are absolutely convinced that it will not be possible to move toward a sustainable way of life, in harmony with nature, without promoting international solidarity as a human right and cooperation and complementarity as basic premises.”
Marrero Cruz concluded, “Our Government will continue to promote solidarity, complementarity, cooperation, and dialogue among peoples, in order to demonstrate that a better world is possible. Cuba will continue to be the rebel island, dignified and sovereign, which humanity will be able to continue counting on to show that, yes, it can be done.”
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The Chair of the World Governments Summit Organization is Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs in the United Arab Emirates.
The Vice-Chair of the World Governments Summit Organization is Ohood Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future of the United Arab Emirates
In addition to the Cuban Prime Minister, several participants were given the opportunity to address the Summit in plenary session. They included: Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund; Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; Tucker Carlson, political commentator and founder of The Tucker Carlson Network; Dr. William Ruto, President of Kenya; Recep Erdoğan, President of Türkiye; and Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank and former President of Brazil.
The United Arab Emirates hosted COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Climate Change, held from November 30 to December 12, 2023. See:
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