Cuba's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ana Silvia Rodriguez.

United Nations, Jun 1 (RHC)-- Cuba highlighted Tuesday the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in favor of child welfare amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The island's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ana Silvia Rodríguez, thanked that entity for mobilizing resources at the global level to contribute to equitable access to diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The representative of the Caribbean nation also acknowledged the continuous contribution of that agency to Cuba's national plans for the promotion of education, health, and participation of all children and adolescents.

However, the Cuban diplomat expressed concern about the continuous decrease in resources allocated to UNICEF, which are essential to provide an effective and lasting response, especially in complex contexts such as the current one.

Likewise, during the annual session of UNICEF's Executive Board held on Tuesday on the occasion of World Children's Day, Rodriguez showed her country's progress in the protection of minors, despite the impact of the pandemic and the U.S. economic blockade.

Cuba is among the 35 countries in the world with the lowest infant mortality, with a rate of 4.9 per 1,000 live births; the child survival rate during the first five years of life is over 99 percent, he said.

In addition, she pointed out that the entire child population of the island is vaccinated against 13 diseases, and severe malnutrition in children is absent from the health indicators.