By Roberto Morales Ojeda
Speech delivered by Roberto Morales Ojeda, Member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization, at the opening of the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties. Havana, Convention Center, August 7, 2026, “Year of the Centenary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz”
Comrade Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PCC and President of the Republic.
Dear General Secretaries and Presidents of the Communist and Workers’ Parties of the EIPCO:
Dear Comrades:
Distinguished Guests:
José Martí, our National Hero, declared: “Where there are many men without honor, there are always others who embody the honor of many. In these men reside thousands of men, an entire people, human dignity itself.”
For this dignity that you embody, coming to Cuba in these difficult times, we receive you with admiration, conveying our collective gratitude and extending to you the warmest of welcomes.
Today, our gathering here holds extraordinary significance. We know that you have overcome obstacles of every kind, defied threats, faced hatred, and borne the consequences, to come to our homeland and raise your voices for justice in times of injustice.
The participation of more than 100 representatives from 48 parties in this 24th Meeting confirms that Cuba is not alone and that it has the unwavering support and solidarity of the communist and workers’ parties that make up this important platform.
Today we gather here in a nation subjected to genocide, a country suffering the terrible rigors of collective punishment, blockaded to the extreme to prevent the entry of fuel, medicine, food, spare parts, investment and trade opportunities, credit, and any resource vital to families.
Cuban households suffer prolonged power outages, water shortages, limited cooking facilities, and all the resulting hardships that these living conditions generate, especially for the most vulnerable.
The impact is painful and tragic; more than 1,800 children were denied their right to life due to the doubling of the country’s infant mortality rate. Meanwhile, the survival rate for children with cancer has plummeted from 4.0 in 2017 to 9.9 today, down from 85% before the economic crisis intensified.
Tens of thousands of patients requiring hemodialysis and others with cancer have seen their life expectancies reduced due to insurmountable shortages, while waiting lists for surgeries continue to grow in hospitals plagued by a lack of supplies, energy, and medications.
With the application of so-called “secondary sanctions,” which have a distinctly extraterritorial character, companies, financial institutions, airlines, shipping lines, and tourism operators are withdrawing from the country, besieged and pressured to the extreme by executive orders from the U.S. government, which, without concealing its objectives, seeks the total collapse of the economy.
To all these sanctions is added the false and politically motivated accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, by the United States Department of Justice, which attempts to damage the symbolism his figure represents for the Revolution and the global anti-imperialist struggle.
And along with this, the list of institutions and individuals sanctioned by the U.S. government grows, with the clear objective of intimidation and closing off any avenue, reinforcing the suffocation they have designed for this island that does not surrender, nor will it ever surrender.
What justification does the current US government offer for such barbarity? They cynically use untenable arguments, lies that insult intelligence and mock the international community. They accuse us of being an unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States of America, the world’s greatest nuclear and economic power.
They accuse us of being a “superpower in espionage,” of financing leftist movements, and of being responsible for social unrest within the United States, when it is their racist, unequal, and unsustainable policies that generate discontent among their own people.
There are no arguments more false and dangerous than those they have fabricated regarding our homeland. This is a new McCarthyism, an orchestrated plan to create a pretext to justify a military escalation and an intervention on Cuban soil.
But we have not remained passive; we are not, as they would have the world believe, a “failed state” incapable of reacting, of seeking solutions, and of moving forward.
In this regard, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PCC and President of the Republic, Comrade Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, made it clear at the closing of the most recent session of our parliament when he stated (and I quote): “In the current context, we have set out to undertake the transformations that the moment demands, under the leadership of the Party, in a collegial and democratic manner, in consultation with the people, without compromising independence, national sovereignty, or the social gains of the Revolution.”
For this reason, after an extensive exchange process with experts, economic actors, and academics, and after evaluating the experiences of friendly countries, we debated 176 Economic and Social Transformations in the Political Bureau, the Extraordinary Plenum of the Central Committee of the Party, the National Assembly of People’s Power, and the Council of Ministers. These transformations, grouped into 23 thematic areas, were subsequently approved.
These measures aim to unleash productive forces to generate wealth and distribute it with social justice, improve the living conditions of the people, boost the country’s socioeconomic development, and preserve social achievements, with the scope and quality that have distinguished the Cuban Revolution for decades. These decisions are based on the theoretical foundations of Marxism-Leninism, the thought of José Martí, the legacy of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and the teachings of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.
The transformations already underway are being carried out with full adherence to independence and sovereignty, to strengthen the revolutionary government’s capacity to continue defending the interests of the people and the right to continue building socialism, in accordance with our own characteristics and the limitations we face.
What is being implemented will allow us, among other things, to diversify the economy, counteract inflation, create new sources of employment, strengthen wages, increase exports, and reduce the country’s economic dependence, achieving greater self-sufficiency with our own resources and talent.
Dear comrades:
The 24th Meeting that we are inaugurating today carries special significance and commitment, since, in addition to being held under these circumstances, it takes place within the context of the centennial celebrations of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, whose anti-imperialist, humanist thought, in defense of peace and the just causes of the people, remains extraordinarily relevant.
We constantly return to the ideas and teachings of the Commander. His unwavering defense of the nation’s sovereignty, his condemnation of ferocious imperial ambitions, and his call for unity among leftist and progressive forces are essential to countering the colossal challenges of the current international landscape.
It is increasingly evident that the neo-fascist onslaught is not only against Cuba; it is far more dangerous. It is against any idea that challenges the power of large corporations and threatens the conservative and expansionist thinking of capitalism.
In his “Reflections,” Fidel expressed this when he stated: “I think that a new and repugnant form of fascism is emerging with remarkable force at this moment in human history,” warning that this new manifestation operated with methods different from those of classical Nazism and fascism.
On these crucial issues and challenges, we are convinced that we will have a fruitful debate, which will contribute to strengthening this platform, now approaching its 30th anniversary, and to consolidating cooperation among all the communist and workers’ parties that comprise it.
Together, we will continue to uphold the ideals of socialism and emancipatory left-wing thought, which, far from being a threat or synonymous with failure, represent hope for a planet where the vast majority continue to be victims of imperialist appetites, the plundering of resources, and environmental destruction.
This is also a forum to defend peace, because an irresponsible act against Cuba would cause painful human losses that can be avoided and incalculable instability for the region and for a world already shaken by wars, destruction, and despair.
Let us then dedicate this meeting to forging greater unity among communist and workers’ parties in an increasingly unequal world, so that, as Martí said, we may remain united and prevent the seven-league giant from advancing.
Let us defend our ideas, which make us stronger, and let us defend the truth, a powerful weapon that has always accompanied and will always accompany revolutionaries.
With more conviction than ever, let us say:
Ever onward to victory!
Socialism or Death!
Homeland or Death!
We will overcome!
Thank you very much.
