(April 30, 2015) The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, ended today a four-day official visit to Cuba, where she met with senior authorities from that country and participated in a seminar on the economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean island.
Bárcena held a conversation with Cuban President Raúl Castro, in which she reaffirmed ECLAC’s full willingness to continue accompanying the country’s process to bring its economic model up to date. During the talk, she also acknowledged the achievements made in Cuba.
On Wednesday, April 29, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary was received in Havana by Cuba’s First Vice President of the Councils of State and of Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel, with whom she discussed regional matters.
The senior official from the United Nations regional organization also held bilateral meetings with the Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Marino Murillo; the Cuban Minister of Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz; and Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno.
In addition, she met with the Director-General of the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM), Ana Teresa Igarza; the head of Cuba’s National Statistics and Information Office (ONEI), Damar Maceo Cruz; and the president of Cuba’s Central Bank, Ernesto Medina.
On Tuesday, April 28, Alicia Bárcena participated in an international seminar called “Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Development in Latin America and Cuba,” organized by CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the University of Havana.
On that occasion, she spoke on a panel about the impact of the international context on Latin America and the Caribbean and challenges to the region’s development. Other panelists included José Antonio Ocampo, professor at Columbia University (New York); Mario Bergara, president of Uruguay’s Central Bank; and Augusto de la Torre, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Latin America.
While talking with journalists, Alicia Bárcena referred to Cuba’s progress on economic reforms and the expectations surrounding the process to restore ties between the island and the United States. She also emphasized the importance of opening Cuba to foreign investment, especially in sectors that are important for the country and taking into account the protection of national jobs.
During her mission in Cuba, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary was accompanied by the directors of the institution’s Program Planning and Operations Division and the Economic Development Division—Raúl García-Buchaca and Daniel Titelman, respectively—and by the Director of ECLAC’s Subregional Headquarters in Mexico, Hugo Beteta.
