标签： Cuba

On the lead-up to the 73rd anniversary of the historic attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, Cuba’s top party official Roberto Morales Ojeda has wrapped up an inspection tour of Pinar del Río, the province selected to host the country’s main National Rebellion Day commemorations, where he stressed that all anniversary-linked infrastructure projects must deliver long-term, improved public services.

Morales Ojeda, who serves as a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, used the tour to highlight that every project tied to the July 26 commemoration must prioritize quality and sustainable outcomes. All ongoing upgrades, he noted, are intended to elevate public access to critical services across key sectors including healthcare, education, culture, and sports.

“We must defend the rational use of resources,” Morales Ojeda stated during the tour, adding that all completed work must be built to last for years to come.

One of the key stops on the itinerary was the operating wing of Pepe Portilla Pediatric Hospital, where major renovation works are now entering their final phase. Speaking to construction teams and medical staff at the site, Morales Ojeda emphasized that investments in healthcare infrastructure are always a critical priority, even amid constrained resources. He praised the unwavering dedication of the province’s healthcare workforce, who continue to save lives daily despite facing significant systemic and material challenges.

He specifically credited the health sector’s consistent strong performance in Pinar del Río as a core factor that led to the province being selected to host this year’s national main anniversary events. Currently, a wide range of rehabilitation projects are underway across the province’s healthcare facilities, including the Abel Santamaría Cuadrado General Teaching Hospital, multiple local polyclinics, community doctor’s offices, and maternity care homes. More than 50 public and private enterprises have contributed to these works, which have already earned widespread positive feedback from local residents, Morales Ojeda confirmed.

Beyond healthcare infrastructure, the party official also visited the monument honoring the Saíz Montes de Oca brothers, a iconic provincial landmark created by sculptor Enrique Ávila that first opened to the public in 1992. The site is currently undergoing its third full restoration, and after meeting with the restoration team, Morales Ojeda called the upgraded project a meaningful gift to the province, honoring its unique historical identity.

The tour also included two key cultural and ceremonial venues for the upcoming anniversary: the José Jacinto Milanés Theater, which is under renovation to host the official anniversary artistic gala, and the central public square that will hold the main national commemoration event. Morales Ojeda inquired into the progress of ongoing works at both sites, and pressed organizers to prioritize outstanding preparation tasks in the remaining lead-up to July 26.

He urged all involved teams to maximize the time left before the commemoration, noting that the preparation process should leave Pinar del Río a more attractive, functional province for local residents long after the anniversary celebrations conclude.

In closing remarks during the tour, Morales Ojeda commended the people of Pinar del Río for their resilience, proactive problem-solving approach, and coordinated organizational system that has allowed the province to advance preparations even amid the country’s current complex economic and social context.

On a Thursday working visit amid long-standing economic pressures from the United States, Cuban President and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez continued his direct engagement with Havana’s activated Municipal Defense Councils, touring three districts of the capital: Old Havana, Arroyo Naranjo, and La Lisa.

The local defense councils were first activated in early May, a response to the rapidly worsening crisis triggered by the United States’ intensified 60-plus-year economic, commercial and financial blockade, which has been compounded by a more than six-month oil embargo that has strained the island’s critical infrastructure and basic services. Accompanying Díaz-Canel on the tour was Roberto Morales Ojeda, Political Bureau member and Organizational Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee. During the visits, the presidential delegation reviewed the status of key basic services that have faced severe disruptions in recent months, including potable water access, domestic energy generation, and municipal solid waste collection.

This series of municipal engagements launched on June 30, and as of this latest round of visits, Díaz-Canel has now held direct exchanges with leaders and residents in nine of Havana’s 15 total municipalities. A core priority of the head of state’s outreach has been centering support for the island’s most vulnerable community members. He placed particular emphasis on upholding timely pension delivery, stressing that all administrative processes would be accelerated to ensure that Cuban retirees, who dedicated their lives to building the nation, receive their rightful benefits on schedule and without unnecessary barriers.

Throughout his stops in the three municipalities, Díaz-Canel highlighted successful collaborative initiatives spanning both the state and non-state economic sectors that have delivered tangible improvements for local residents. He called for these proven solutions to be rapidly scaled up across other districts of the capital, with priority areas including waste management, targeted support for at-risk populations, and streamlined pension distribution.

The president also expressed strong interest in the work of the Community Youth Network, a groundbreaking local program that empowers young Cubans to lead problem-solving efforts in their own neighborhoods. He received detailed briefings on the network’s diverse activities, which range from organizing recreational sports, community cultural events, and public health outreach to conducting regular check-ins with isolated elderly residents, supporting low-income vulnerable families, and engaging disconnected young people who are currently not enrolled in school or employed. The network also supports monitoring for Cuba’s Family Assistance System (SAF), the national program that delivers targeted food assistance to the country’s most food-insecure households.

In addition to reviewing programmatic work, Díaz-Canel asked detailed questions about how local authorities are responding to resident requests and concerns. He emphasized that all community demands must be addressed with empathy and care, and underscored the ongoing importance of maintaining public order and safety across all Havana neighborhoods.

Closing his visit, the Cuban head of state praised the high level of organization shown by municipal leaders and community members in navigating the ongoing crisis. He called on the Cuban people to maintain a hopeful, determined outlook as they confront the challenges imposed by external pressure, expressing confidence that the nation will ultimately overcome these hardships.

HAVANA – In an extraordinary session chaired by Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of Cuba’s State Council, Cuban officials have greenlit two landmark decree-laws that form a core part of the country’s ongoing economic and social transformation process. The legislative actions, announced July 16, 2026, update the nation’s regulatory framework to align with policy changes already vetted by the Political Bureau, the Extraordinary Plenum of the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly of People’s Power, and the Council of Ministers.

The first measure, the Decree-Law on the Cuban State Business System, establishes new guiding principles for the organization and operation of the country’s state-owned enterprise network, overseen by the National Institute of State-Owned Enterprise Assets. According to Roberto Ricardo Marrero, president of the institute, the legislation addresses 16 of the 17 planned reforms under Thematic Area 1, focused on restructuring the management model for socialist state economic actors, while also clearing the way for 12 additional cross-cutting reforms across other policy areas.

Yovana Vega Mato, an executive with Cuba’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, emphasized that the new decree-law creates a formal legal platform that allows the state-owned enterprise system, under the oversight of the National Institute of State Business Assets, to exercise full governing authority and roll out all mandated reforms. The framework is designed to work in tandem with a suite of complementary regulations currently in development.

During session debates, Lazo underscored the historic importance of the state business decree-law. The legislation formally reaffirms the socialist state-owned enterprise as the central player in Cuba’s national economy, while expanding operational autonomy for state firms, unlocking untapped productive capacity, and formalizing requirements for corporate social responsibility.

The second approved measure, the Amendment to Decree-Law No. 76 on Agricultural Cooperatives, updates regulations governing the formation, organizational structure, membership integration, and daily operation of agricultural cooperatives across the country. The revision brings existing cooperative rules into alignment with the broader goals of Cuba’s national economic and social transformation agenda.

Both new decree-laws are scheduled for publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba to make the regulatory changes accessible to the general public. During the session, the State Council also outlined its ongoing commitment to supporting the transformation process through its constitutionally granted legislative and oversight powers. Officials noted that the full set of national reforms is intended to refine Cuba’s socialist development model and drive sustained national economic growth and broad-based social progress.

Cuba’s capital of the central Villa Clara province, Santa Clara, is celebrating its 337th founding anniversary this year, with festivities amplified by a prestigious new honor for the province just weeks ahead of the country’s National Rebellion Day. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who was born in Santa Clara and represents the municipality as a deputy to the National Assembly of People’s Power, shared warm, patriotic greetings to the city’s residents via his official social media account.

In his public message, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party praised local residents as a heroic, hardworking community, noting that the land shaped his personal identity and core revolutionary values. “Congratulations to the people of Santa Clara on the 337th anniversary of that city, so dear and dear to me,” Díaz-Canel wrote, extending a heartfelt embrace to all locals.

The timing of the anniversary celebration aligns with Villa Clara being officially named a Distinguished Province ahead of National Rebellion Day. The honor was awarded based on the province’s strong performance across key economic, production and social indicators, as well as its successful navigation of ongoing domestic challenges. The designation has added an extra layer of celebration and national pride to Santa Clara’s annual founding festivities.

Santa Clara’s deep ties to Cuba’s revolutionary history stretch back to the iconic 1953 Moncada Barracks attack, a defining moment that paved the way for the Cuban Revolution. Local revolutionary figure Osvaldo Socarrás Martínez, a native of the province, lost his life during the July 26 actions. A little-known historical anecdote also connects Fidel Castro Ruz, the leader of the 1953 attack, to the city: en route to Santiago de Cuba on July 25, 1953, Castro stopped at López Opticians on Cuba Street to replace a pair of glasses he had accidentally left at the home of fellow revolutionary Melba Hernández. Local technician Rafael Gutiérrez crafted a new pair for Castro in less than an hour, glasses that Castro would wear during the attack at Moncada Barracks.

In preparation for this year’s anniversary celebrations, city officials launched comprehensive revitalization projects across Santa Clara, reaching beyond the historic core to improve infrastructure and public spaces in outlying neighborhoods. Work included general cleaning campaigns, full restoration of local parks, cleanup of the Cubanicay and Bélico rivers, and beautification upgrades to the city’s ring road and main entry points.

Founded on July 15, 1689, by 18 families who relocated from the nearby town of Remedios, Santa Clara has long occupied a central role in Cuba’s national narrative. Over more than three centuries, it has been the site of critical patriotic movements and remains a major contributor to the country’s political, cultural and economic development.

Against a backdrop of ongoing economic and social adversity across Cuba, national leadership has placed a renewed focus on granular, on-the-ground engagement with municipal-level governance to address citizen needs and solve pressing daily challenges. This approach centers on close examination of local conditions, direct engagement with community concerns, and persistent pursuit of targeted solutions – a philosophy that turns municipal-level work into a critical space for addressing problems at a manageable scale and centering the lived experiences of residents behind broad national statistics.

It is this commitment that brought Cuba’s highest leadership, headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the National Defense Council, to a series of municipal visits across Havana in recent days. On the afternoon of Monday, July 15, 2026, Díaz-Canel was joined by Roberto Morales Ojeda, Political Bureau member and Organizational Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, for a working meeting with the Boyeros Municipal Defense Council.

Boyeros ranks among the capital Havana’s largest municipalities, home to seven People’s Councils and a population of more than 176,400 residents. During the meeting, Díaz-Canel, Morales Ojeda and other accompanying national leaders held in-depth dialogue with local authorities, receiving detailed updates from Yucleidis Ramírez Ramírez, president of the Boyeros Municipal Defense Council.

Ramírez Ramírez outlined updates on the municipality’s most critical daily infrastructure and livelihood issues, including electricity supply, water access, and food security. He emphasized that the Defense Zone holds strategic importance for the territory in the current context, noting that updating the municipality’s comprehensive “energy map” stands as one of the most urgent ongoing tasks for local governance.

Discussions spanned every core dimension of residents’ daily lives. Beyond infrastructure, Ramírez Ramírez presented details on the municipality’s citizen services system, support programs for vulnerable populations, and the coordinated role of local economic actors in aiding at-risk community members. For example, the municipality’s Family Support System (known locally by its Spanish acronym SAF) currently receives active support from 38 local economic entities. New participating economic actors have also been assigned to manage consistent pension distribution across the territory, while both state and non-state entities have been tasked with expanding production and distribution of staple food products, prioritizing underserved areas with the highest need.

Solid waste collection, a longstanding challenge across Havana that has spurred local governments to test innovative solutions, was a key focus of Monday’s meeting. Boyeros authorities reported that they are currently testing low-cost alternative collection methods including horse-drawn carts, and are exploring other context-appropriate solutions. Meeting participants agreed that any locally successful approach to waste collection should be scaled up across other municipalities facing similar challenges.

The meeting also covered Boyeros’ ongoing agenda to revitalize public spaces for community sports, cultural activities, and general recreation, a initiative designed to boost overall quality of life for the municipality’s residents.

During the session, President Díaz-Canel asked specific questions about the operation of the SAF and progress on expanding local food production. The gathering also served as an opportunity to reinforce core governance priorities: timely identification of emerging local problems, early planning for the upcoming academic school year, and ongoing work to optimize both the structural and functional performance of the local Defense Zone.

Closing the meeting, Díaz-Canel reaffirmed the value of systematic planning and consistent follow-up on issues that directly impact residents. Stressing that sustained attention to detail is the most effective way to deliver meaningful progress, he told local counterparts that another follow-up meeting will be held in the near future to continue monitoring progress and addressing emerging challenges in Boyeros.

On Sunday, July 13, 2026, Cuba’s top leader Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who serves as both First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, issued a public message of condolence via the social platform X following the passing of Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Father Emir of the State of Qatar.

Opening his statement with a note of deep sorrow, Díaz-Canel honored the late Qatari statesman, describing him as a distinguished leader whose decisive work laid the foundation for Qatar’s growth into a modern, prosperous nation. Beyond his transformative contributions to Qatar’s domestic development, the Cuban president emphasized the late Emir’s outsized role in nurturing the longstanding, friendship-driven ties that bind Cuba and Qatar together.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani was not only a committed partner in advancing bilateral relations but also a close friend to the Cuban people and to Cuba’s iconic Commander-in-Chief, Díaz-Canel added.

In closing, the Cuban head of state reaffirmed that Cuba stands in solidarity with Qatar during this period of mourning. He extended the island nation’s sincere sympathies directly to current Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the entire Al-Thani family, the Qatari government, and the broader Qatari population, noting the deep fraternal connection between the two countries.