Cubas President Sets 2024 as Year of Territorial Decentralization

In a recent announcement, Cubas President, Miguel Daz-Canel, has set a goal for 2024 to advance in the decentralization of powers at the territorial level. This move seeks to bolster local capacities by using the resources and strengths inherent to each territory, as well as to strengthen work systems and productivity in municipalities. Decentralization is seen as a way to optimize management and sustainable development, allowing greater autonomy and response capacity to the specific needs of each region. With this measure, Daz-Canel is directing municipalities to exploit their endogenous potentialities and develop faculties that allow them to be more self-sufficient and efficient in their management.

(Read Also: Cubas Law No. 143: A Modern Approach to Criminal Justice)

In spite of the efforts of the government and related institutions, Cuba faces challenges in agricultural production and food security. There is an urgent need to organize local food systems to achieve food sovereignty and security. High prices of agricultural products and the impact of hurricanes on crops compound these issues. The program for urban, suburban, and family agriculture in Cuba is a focal point, highlighting its history, current situation, and challenges. The resurgence of potato cultivation in the province of Holgun, using agroecological techniques, is noteworthy.

The provincial governments of Cienfuegos and Las Tunas accounted for their management before the National Assembly of Peoples Power, detailing the operation of the main economic and social development programs in both territories during 2023. Measures to dynamize the national economy, improve healthcare and education sectors from the perspective of workers income, and the implementation of Law 143, Of the Criminal Process, were discussed. The implementation of the Family Code was also evaluated.

(Read Also: Rethinking Agriculture: Challenges, Innovations, and the Future)

The Horticultural Research Institute Liliana Dimitrova in the Mayabeque province is working on a project to reproduce aromatic plant species in Cuba, with the goal of replacing imports. They have successfully adapted 13 varieties of aromatic plants to the Cuban climate and are working on ensuring a high-quality product through good agricultural practices and proper processing. The institute aims to serve as an example for the rest of the country in this regard.

From 2024, Cuba will implement a series of socio-economic measures that will, according to President Miguel Daz-Canel, make a necessary leap in the economy. The National Assembly of Peoples Power of Cuba assessed the implementation of the Family Code positively, though recognizing there are paths to travel in its instrumentation. President Daz-Canel emphasized the importance of municipal assemblies playing a more active role in social prevention and attention strategies in communities. Cuba is currently working on modifications of the legal framework for micro, small, and medium enterprises (Mypimes) on the island, two years after the first norms to regulate their activities were approved.

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Cuba's Decentralization Plans: Aiming for Local Autonomy by 2024 - BNN Breaking