Havana, January 15 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has reiterated the island’s commitment to human rights. Cuba participated in the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2018, and Cuba’s top diplomat said there was an acknowledgment of our country's positive performance in human rights and a ratification of our commitment to this cause. 

On May 16, 2018, Cuba underwent its Periodic Review on Human Rights, where it presented its globally recognized advances and achievements in health, education, culture and participation in international human rights instruments.   The review spanned work on the island over the last five years, during which Cuba recorded various achievements.  For example, 2017 saw the lowest infant mortality rate in its history, at 4.0 per 1,000 live births, a figure exhibited by few countries in the world.

Cuba was also declared by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as one of the 15 nations in the world to implement basic policies to ensure good brain development of children.

All UN member-states are subject to the review.  In its previous presentation in May 2013, Cuba received 292 recommendations, out of which it accepted 230, took note of around 40 and rejected some 20, given their interventionist nature.