May

Embassy of Cuba in New Zealand
Newsletter
No.17
4th May 2015
ABSTRACT
Cuba is scrambling to cope with the huge influx of tourists as arrival statistics are
pushed further and further out: marine leisure in its many forms leads the way and
over half a million came here in the first quarter of the year experiencing some very
hot weather. Iniciativa Cuba is the British answer to getting trade moving; the
Texans are in Havana, interested in agriculture, oil, technology and tourism. Our
Diplomatic section is led by ECLAC with encouraging words about the Caribbean’s
growth potential, Cardinal Benjamin Stella is here to prepare the way for the
pope’s visit, Mexico has updated the extradition arrangements in place since 1925
and we record Japan’s first foreign ministerial visit to the island.
The Molecular Immunology Centre has been awarded a gold medal by the World
Intellectual Property Organisation and final results of an important lung cancer
vaccine are being presented in Cuba in coming days.
Inside Cuba covers the spectacular May Day celebrations and we discover that
Cuba looks after its old people better than anyone else in Latin America.
Embassy of Cuba in New Zealand
Newsletter
No.17
4th May 2015
Upcoming events
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Investor Guide
Portfolio of opportunities for foreign investment
Law 118 foreign investment act
Legal framework of the special development zone of Mariel
In this issue
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Raúl and Nicolás Maduro presidents massive May Day march in Havana
The solidarity that accompanies us
Cuba has the oldest population in Latin America
Cuba hosts 13th international seminar on longevity
Historical heat wave hits the island
Kitesurfing Cuba has arrived!
Cuba, UK hold managerial forum
Texas business mission visits Cuba
Tourists pouring into Cuba
ECLAC highlights Cuba’s opportunities for foreign investment
Raul Castro meets Cardinal Beniamino Stella
Mexico activates extradition treaty with Cuba
First Japanese foreign minister to visit Cuba
Cuban antibody medication receives award
Cuba to expand regulatory action on drugs
Cuba begins second stage of polio vaccination
Final results of lung cancer vaccine to be presented in Cuba
Raúl and Nicolás Maduro presidents massive May Day march in Havana
President Raúl Castro was presiding on
Friday May 1 over the tribunal at Havana’s
Plaza de la Revolución José Martí
Memorial for the massive May Day march
celebrating International Workers’ Day
and
reaffirming
Cuban
workers’
commitment to the Revolution. Joining
the celebration is Nicolás Maduro,
president of the Bolivarian Republic of
Cuba.
Participants in the country’s largest
gathering of the year, began their march
at 7:00 am, with May Day flags, banners, signs and t-shirts and this year’s slogan ‘United in the
construction of socialism,’ as well as the release of the Cuban Five.
Secretary general of the Cuba Workers Federation (CTC) Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, opened
the march reaffirming the internationalism of Cuban workers, and support for the process of
integration unfolding in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He expressed satisfaction with the US government’s decision to modify its strategy toward
Cuba and begin the process of reestablishing diplomatic relations, opening a new stage in the
struggle to end the blockade imposed more than 50 years ago.
Cuba is one of the countries where International Workers Day has been celebrated on May
Day since 1890, to commemorate the martyrs of Chicago’s Haymarket Square, as called for at
the 1889 International Socialist Congress in Paris.
The CTC and its national affiliates, political and grassroots organizations have organized
massive mobilizations on May Day since the Revolution triumphed in 1959 and the working
class assumed power.
The Tenth May Day Brigade, comprised of more than 230 members from 25 countries, has
launched its program of solidarity activities in Cuba,
and participated in the May Day celebrations
The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples
reports that this solidarity contingent will begin its
agenda of activities at the Julio Antonio Mella
International Camp, located in the western province
of Artemisa, where the group will receive a lecture on
the Cuban situation and reality, and will perform
voluntary work in agriculture.
Then after the May Day event the contingent
attended the International Meeting of Solidarity that
traditionally takes place after May Day celebrations.
The brigade members also met victims of terrorism against Cuba, and networked with people
and leaders from the committees for the Defence of the Revolution, and the Federation of
Cuban Women.
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INSIDE CUBA
The solidarity that accompanies us
More than 1,800 representatives from
68 countries were sharing in the
festivities this May 1st in Havana’s
Revolution Square.
The Plaza de la Revolución is in the
heart of Havana, and just like every
year, May 1 saw tens of thousands of
Cubans filling this historical site of so
many victories with joy and colour, as
they celebrate International Workers’
Day.
And just as has been the case every
May 1st, representatives of the solidarity movements that accompany our people will be
present, sharing their love and support for Cuba, from both near and far corners of the world.
How many thousands, from how many nations and organizations have raised their voices, their
flags, their dreams...together with ours over these decades? How many unforgettable images
of rallies and parades on each May 1st have they spent in Cuba, how many memories...?
1867 people from 68 countries, representing 192 organizations, came to Havana, and
headedfor the plaza. While for some this may be a repeat experience, for many it will be the
first time they see for themselves what Cuba and the Revolution that has defended the
workers and the people, and which they have joined in supporting, really is.
Members of trade unions, social movements and solidarity groups have been mobilized mainly
through the CTC and ICAP: 1175 belong to 140 organizations from 28 countries in Latin
America and the Caribbean; 571 are from 40 associations from 19 European countries; there
are over 60 from Asia and Oceania; and 50 from 14 nations of Africa and the Middle East.
To date, the countries that have a greater presence are: the United States with 285
representatives; France with 209; Uruguay with 127; Chile with 121 and Argentina with 102.
For all of these international guests, an extra special feature this year will be the physical
presence of our Five Heroes in Revolution Square: for whom hundreds of committees in every
continent fought tirelessly for years for the freedom and return of Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio,
Fernando and René.
The huge event on Friday and the subsequent International Solidarity Conference to be held
on May 2, were opportunities to discuss new objectives in solidarity with Cuba: an end to the
economic, commercial and financial blockade against our people will no doubt feature among
the more important.
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INSIDE CUBA
Cuba has the oldest population in Latin America
In Cuba there are more than two million
people over 60 years of age — 19 percent
of the total population — and it is the first
Latin American country identified as having
the oldest population in the region.
Doctor Alberto Fernandez, head of the
National Group for the Care of the Elderly,
of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP)
told ACN in an exclusive interview that the
rapid population aging is largely due to the
low birth rate, the increase of life
expectancy and social development.
Cuba enjoys ‘first world’ level indicators and the only population that is increasing hereinafter
are senior citizens, said Fernandez, who participates in the 13th International Seminar on
Longevity that has concluded at Havana’s convention centre, attended by 300 delegates from
various nations.
Since 2010, people arriving at the sixth decade intersect which those who are 15, thus only the
first group increases and those who are 15 years of age decreases, Fernandez pointed out.
Guideline 144 of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution reads: ‘To give
special attention to the study and implementation of strategies in all sectors of society to
address the high levels of population aging.’
Among the actions in this regard, the Ministry of Public Health is working to strengthen
Primary Health Care, training family doctors and nurses and graduates in geriatrics and
gerontology, and providing courses for care at the end of life, so health professionals are
provided with the necessary tools to address this age sector, he specified.
It also included supporting grandparents and old people’s homes on the island, for which there
is a rehabilitation programme backed by a budget that in 2014 amounted to 66 million pesos
allocated for this purpose by the Ministry of Finance and Prices.
Today, thanks to the development of education, 57 percent of the people that are between 60
and 74 years of age are medium level university graduates, and in old age they also have the
opportunity to continue studying at the university departments for the elderly, from which, in
their fifteen years of existence, more than 15 thousand people have benefited, he said.
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INSIDE CUBA
Cuba hosts 13th international seminar on longevity
Under the organization of the Caribbean Medical Association (Ameca) and the 120 Year-Old
Club, the 13th International Seminar on Longevity has begun in Havana.
With the slogan ‘What to do to live 120
years and more, with an active and
satisfactory longevity,’ the event will
bring together expectations from all
branches of knowledge to discuss
experiences.
Parallel was also the Ninth International
Nursing Meeting, the Second Oral Health
for the Elderly Symposium, and the
Tenth
International
Meeting
on
Centenarians.
Among the issues to discuss are Genetics, Motivation, Nutrition and Food, Health, Physical
Activity, Culture, Sexuality and Environment.
The program of the event includes courses, keynote speeches, roundtable discussions,
symposiums, workshops, panels, exhibition of posters and a walk called "eternal youth."
The 13th International Seminar on Longevity and its events parallel sponsor it, among them,
the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization and the Pan-American
Health Organization (WHO-PAHO), and the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.
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INSIDE CUBA
Historical heat wave hits the island
Temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius have
been reported for several days in Cuba, with
several absolute maximum heat peaks, Dr. Jose
Rubiera, head of the Centre for Weather
Forecasts Institute told media this week.
The sharp rise of temperatures in the Caribbean
country is due to the predominance of clear
skies, favouring intense solar radiation, and the
presence of a flow of weak southern winds, the
specialist said.
Last Sunday entered weather statistics as one
of the hottest days of the last five decades in Cuba, breaking three absolute maximum
temperature records, and reporting values above 35 degrees Celsius in 23 meteorological
stations.
The new heat records were registered in the city of Holguin and the town of Velascoin the
eastern province, where thermometers hit 38.7 degrees, only one tenth off the national heat
record of 38.8 degrees, established in 1999. This could be the second highest value reported in
Cuba officially.
In the Casablanca station in Havana, there were maximum temperatures of 37.0, the highest
measured in Cuba's capital since 1909, which left behind the previous 36.3-record of October
2009.
According to meteorologists Armando Caymares and Yiganis Cedeño of the centre, other
remarkable highs occurred in Guaro, Mayari, with 38.0; La Jíquima, 37.8; and Sagua la Grande,
37.0 (records for the month of April).
The intense heat experienced this month does not mean a prelude to what will happen in July
and August, say the experts, when summer is at its peak, because the behaviour of the
weather depends on the specific weather conditions affecting each period.
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TRADE & TOURISM
Kitesurfing Cuba has arrived!
Cuba will show off its kitesurfing
potential at the upcoming
International
Tourism
Fair,
FitCuba 2015.
Technically it’s hydroplaning —
with a ski or board pulled by a kite
— and it will be one of the
activities that the ECOTUR travel
agency, Cuba’s leader in nature
and adventure tourism, will
promote at the Jardines del Rey
destination.
Franklin Marin, the company’s
commercial
specialist,
has
announced a joint presentation
with the Cuban Enterprise Group of Nautical and Marinas and Gran Caribe hotel chain.
He explained that kite surfing in Cuba was an activity with much potential and would be well
received by foreign tourists. Two schools have been set up in Varadero and three more in
Jardines del Rey, where the 35th FitCuba will take place.
All are run by tour operators working with ECOTUR and Marlin.
One of the schools opened at Villa Cojimar hotel, which will host at the fair the first Cuban Kite
surf festival, said Marin.
ECOTUR will also present in FitCuba several projects aimed at promoting new forms of nature
and adventure such as the circuits on bikes, visit to parks and kayak programs.
This most important tourist event in the country opens this week to receive hundreds of tour
operators, travel agents and journalists from some 40 nations.
It includes two new sections — one dedicated to promoting business with foreign capital, and
the other an exhibition of goods and services useful to the development of the leisure
industry.
The most recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics and Information show the arrival
to Cuba of 1 136 948 international tourists in the period from January to March, a figure that
broke the historical record, and shows the boom of tourism in Cuba for this period.
Canada continues to be the main client for the Cuba destination — sending 551,773 people
during the first quarter of the year, followed by Germany, France, England and Italy.
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TRADE & TOURISM
Cuba, UK hold managerial forum
More than 30 United Kingdom
companies and their Cuban
counterparts
are
discussing
business
possibilities
and
investments in the field of a
managerial forum to boost bilateral
trade relations is taking place in this
capital.
The meeting takes place on
occasion of the three-day visit to
the island of Lord Hutton, copresident of Iniciativa Cuba, a
British-Cuban project aimed at promoting exchanges and the relationship between London
and Havana.
According to a statement by the organizers, participants will examine business potentialities
and investments in sectors such as energy, mining, tourism, biotechnology, agriculture, goods
production, transportation, and industry.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba (CCC), Orlando Guillen, as well as Lord
Hutton, will talk to the participants in the opening ceremony of this managerial event. A
speech by an official from the Ministry for Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, and lecture
on Cuban economy, by Professor Juan Triana, are also on the list.
The programme also includes exhibitions on investment opportunities and its regulatory
framework, and doing business in Cuba.
‘We receive enthusiastically the presence of this important delegation of British business
people, particularly in the current context in which Cuba is renewing efforts to attract foreign
investment,’ said United Kingdom ambassador Tim Cole.
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TRADE AND TOURISM
Texas business mission visits Cuba
A trade mission from the United States, Texas has traveled to Cuba to establish contacts for
the possible sale of agrifood and to facilitate new transport services and technology, media
reported this week.
President of Dallas-based consulting
firm Tri Dimension StrategiesCinthia
Thomas who leads the delegation was
reported as saying that Texan
industries interested in trade with
Cuba include airlines, agricultural, oil,
technology and tourism companies.
Since Cuba and the United States
announced in December that
diplomatic relations would be
restored, several US companies
showed interest in Cuba, even though
Washington's restrictive economic measures — in force since 1962 — have not been removed.
Texas is one of the states supplying food to Cuba, sales that have occurred under official
licence since the early years of this century.
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TRADE & TOURISM
Tourists pouring into Cuba
Cuba's
National
Statistics
and
Information Office (ONEI) has reported
an increase in international tourism
during the first quarter of 2015, with
well over a million visitors.
In March, there were 404,421 foreign
visitors in Cuba, compared to 359,446
in the same period of 2014.
Canada, Germany, France, United
Kingdom and Italy were the main
source countries. In the first quarter of 2015, there were 1,1 million tourists and 20,835
excursionists (for a period not less than 24 hours).
Canada dominated, with 551,773, which represents 48.5 percent of the total.
Cuba received more than a million visitors for the first time last year.
The FITCUBA International Tourism Fair in its 35th edition will take place this week at Jardines
del Rey (centre-north of Cuba), dedicated to Italy as guest of honour.
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DIPLOMACY
ECLAC highlights Cuba’s opportunities for foreign investment
Cuba stands out because it is open to foreign
investment, yet selects important sectors for
the country and protects domestic jobs, Alicia
Bárcena, executive secretary of the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC), told media in Havana last
week.
The health of the economy in the Caribbean
and Central America is something that the
country should take into account, because it is
in this area where its competitors in terms of
attracting foreign capital are found, she said at
the 1st International Seminar on Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Latin
America and Cuba, which took place over two days at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel, in Havana.
In 2015 Latin America's gross domestic product as a whole is not forecast to increase by more
than 1 percent, while in the Caribbean area it could grow by 1.9percent, she announced.
This situation should be taken advantage of, by the Caribbean nations as allies, she clarified,
because nothing prevented them from establishing a chain of investment, in which each
economy provides the best it has to offer, especially in regards to marine leisure tourism and
maritime transport, which are sectors predisposed to development given the natural
conditions of the region.
‘I believe the Mariel Special Development Zone is an example of the use of competitive
advantages in the foreign investment process, because distance makes the export of Latin
American products to other continents more expensive, but the Cuban port could be used as a
layover and shipping platform,’ she predicted.
Parallel to the injection of foreign capital, she considered it an appropriate strategy to
continue promoting the export of health services and educational consultancy.
In the future, when the country's infrastructure problems are resolved, Cuba could also export
products related to information technology and communications, Bárcena suggested, as it had
the personnel with the training and qualifications necessary.
.
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DIPLOMACY
Raul Castro meets Cardinal Beniamino Stella
Army General Raul Castro Ruz, president of the Council of State and Ministers, has met
Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy at the Holy See,
who is visiting the Catholic Church in Cuba.
During the cordial meeting Raul and Stella talked
on issues of mutual interest, particularly the
upcoming visit to Cuba of His Holiness Pope
Francis.
The distinguished visitor was accompanied by
Monsignor Veceslav Tumir, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of
the Apostolic Nunciature in Havana.
Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla,
Caridad Diego Bello, head of the Office of
Attention to Religious Affairs at the Cuban
Communist Party’s Central Committee, also
attended the meeting.
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DIPLOMACY
Mexico activates extradition treaty with Cuba
An extradition treaty between Mexico and
Cuba to combat crime, signed in 2013, has
been activated, reports the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (SRE).
The Mexican foreign ministry announced in
the official gazette document signed on
November 1, 2013 in Havana and approved by
the senate of the Congress of the Union on
December 11, 2014.
By the treaty the two countries undertake to
surrender to each other in extradition those
for which it has instituted criminal
proceedings or are required for the imposition or enforcement of a judgment or sentence.
The measure applies when the application refers to willful or negligent criminal conduct that is
laid down in the national legislation of both countries and constitutes an offence punishable by
imprisonment, the minimum term not less than one year.
It also provides for extradition if the request relates to willful or negligent criminal conduct
that are laid down in the national legislation of both countries.
When the extradition request is made to comply with a judgment, the period of deprivation of
liberty remaining to be fulfilled by the sanctioned person shall be six months at least.
It adds that if it involves two or more behaviours, each of which constitutes an offence under
the laws of both countries, the requested part may grant extradition for all those behaviours.
The application shall also relate to tax crimes, customs or other contributions of a fiscal nature.
The new treaty will void the agreement between the two countries made on May 25, 1925 in
Havana, according to the foreign ministry, which will send a diplomatic note to the Cuban
foreign ministry that the agreement enters into force between the parties.
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DIPLOMACY
First Japanese foreign minister to visit Cuba
The Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio
Kishida told his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez
his country seeks to strengthen relations with
Cuba. Kishida is the first Japanese FM to come to
Cuba, a fact that makes him feel much honoured,
he said, prior to a meeting with president of the
councils of state and ministers, army general Raúl
Castro.
‘We will strengthen our bilateral relations with this
visit¨ he said after his meeting with Minister
Rodriguez.
Kishida announced a new large scale Japanese
cooperation system to back up Cuba´s updating of
its economic model named ¨Non reimbursable
financial assistance’
He said the goal of this trip is to consolidate economic ties with Cuba; therefore he came with
a business delegation that includes representatives from 30 Japanese companies
Kishida showed his support for the Cuba-US talks and said they ¨draw the world attention and
of vital importance for a sustainable development of the Americas¨
The Japanese minister will meet later during the day the Vice-President of the Council of
Ministers Ricardo Cabrisas.
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MEDICINE
Cuban antibody medication receives award
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has awarded its Gold Medal to the Cuban
medication Itolizumab, in a ceremony attended by vice president of the councils of state and
ministers Miguel Díaz-Canel, held at Havana’s José Martí Memorial.
The humanized monoclonal antibody
was developed in Cuba for the
treatment of chronic inflammatory
autoimmune diseases such as
psoriasis, which affects some 125
million people worldwide, according
to María de los Ángeles Sánchez
Torres, director of the country’s
industrial property office.
The medication is being used in Cuba,
as well as China and India, via a joint
production company.
Nuno Pires de Carvalho, acting
director of Intellectual Property and Competition Policy Division within the WIPO presented
the award to Dr. Kalet León Monzón, deputy director for research and development at the
Molecular Immunology Centre, who accepted it in the name of its five principal inventors.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the United Nations’ 17
specialized agencies.
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MEDICINE
Cuba to expand regulatory action on drugs
The Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment
State Control Centre (Cecmed) in Cuba will
increase its regulatory action on pharmaceutical
excipients or binders next year.
Head of Cecmed’s Drug Evaluation and Research
department Carmen Beatriz de la Cruz told the
Prensa Latina agency in Havana that the
regulatory entity will begin the registration of
pharmaceutical excipients that should be
imported for the production of the national
industry next year.
Some requirements for the registration of that
kind of raw material that does not currently exist in the country are being drawn up, she said.
The regulatory authority of drugs in Cuba is responsible for promoting and protecting public
health through a system that ensure timely access to market of products with quality, safety,
efficacy and accurate information to their rational use.
Cecmed also serves as the reference authority of the Pan-American Health Organization
(PAHO) for the Americas.
A requirement project for the registration of pharmaceutical excipients in Cuba was presented
during a lecture in the framework of the 13th International Fair Health for All, recently held
along with the Second International Convention "Cuba-Salud 2015," held last week at the
Havana's Conference Centre.
The regulatory entity presented a stand in the Health for All fair, considered the largest event
on health in Cuba and one of the most important ones of the sector in Latin America. "Health
for All" had the presence of 221 firms and 197 companies from 30 countries.
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MEDICINE
Cuba begins second stage of polio vaccination
In accordance with the 13th
vaccination week in the Americas,
Cuba concluded on May 3 the
second stage of the 54th Anti-Polio
Campaign said Doctor Marlen
Valcarcel, director of the national
immunization programme, who told
media that about 373962 children
from 30 days to two years old, 11
months and 29 days, would receive
the second doses of the vaccine,
while the vaccine will be also
reactivated with one dose for
another 111323 children between
the ages of nine and ten.
MINSAP official Miguel Angel Galindo told media that the vaccine will not be administered to
minors with high fever, vomiting or diarrhea, and carers should wait for 30 minutes before and
after vaccination to permit water to be ingested.
The vaccine should not be used on immunodeficient children and those allergic to anti-polio
vaccine.
Since 1962, when Cuba eliminated poliomyelitis, and up to 2014, about 83 million dosages of
the vaccine have been applied, and this has guaranteed the protection of the Cuban
population under 68 years of age, he said.
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) states that the 13th Vaccination Week in the
Americas seeks to protect nearly 60 million children and adults from preventable diseases with
vaccines against measles, rubella, polio, pneumonia and other ailments in 45 countries.
More than 519 million people of the region have been vaccinated in the 13 years of history of
this campaign, which has become a world health initiative, said Carissa F. Etienne, director of
PAHO, a regional office of the World Health Organization for the Americas.
The universal slogan this year focuses on drawing the attention to ‘close the gaps in
immunization,’ according to a message from WHO in Washington.
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MEDICINE
Final results of lung cancer vaccine to be presented in Cuba
The final results of the study confirming the
effectiveness of CIMAvax-EGF in advanced lung
cancer will be presented at an international
workshop to be held here on May 12 and 13,
specialized sources have reported.
The implementation of the vaccine —
conceived by the Centre for Molecular
Immunology (CIM-Spanish acronym) — in
primary health care, the overall safety profile
and follow-up experiences in other countries,
will also be addressed in the V International
Workshop on the topic, to be held in the Palace
of Conventions.
The event, organized by CIMAB S.A., a Cuban
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of drugs for
the treatment of malignant tumors, will aim to discuss new indications and therapeutic
combinations of the compound.
CIMAvax-EGF is the first registered therapeutic vaccine for lung cancer, considered a novel
approach capable of generating the patient's own antibodies against the epidermal growth
factor (EGF).
The antibodies generated halt the proliferation of tumor cells, controlling the progression of
the disease, increasing the chances of survival, and improving the quality of life of treated
patients.
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Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in New Zealand
76 Messines Rd, Karori, Wellington 6012
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Text edited by David Reade of International Public Relations (ipr.bz) on behalf of the Cuban Embassy, Wellington, from Cuban news
agency sources