The National Committee of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), meeting on March 25, discussed the main difficulties and proposals identified by members during the political process initiated in the context of the 55th anniversary of the organization, which began on February 16, within its various delegations and blocs.
Olga Lidia Tapia Iglesias, member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, who chaired the meeting, said, “This can not be just another process, it should really shake up the grassroots but with a superior level of participation, not only in quantity, but in quality.”
“The strengthening of structures can not be just in regards to the functioning of delegations and blocs (...), this strengthening must be reflected in our activities, in how we prepare, train and provide tools for our grassroots leaders to further develop themselves,” Iglesias added, whilst stressing the importance of greater motivation on the part of FMC members.
During the meeting, it emerged that the main proposals of the process include the need for more dynamic activities, improved work with families and addressing the aging population.
Some participants also noted that work with young people at the grassroots level should focus more on studying the history of the organization, the community and the country.
The members also referred to the participation of the FMC in the elections to Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power currently underway throughout the country and the identification of women candidates. Arelys Santana Bello, second secretary of the organization, said that up until a few days ago, 9,815 women candidates had been chosen to stand as municipal delegates, representing 35.84% of the nominees.
In this respect, the participants agreed that this figure remains low, as the empowerment of Cuban women in the labor sector demonstrates that they can gain much greater prominence within the community.
The results of the implementation of the National Action PlantoFollow-upon theFourthUN Conference on Women, adopted by the Cuban government in 1997, were also addressed.
In this regard, Arelys Santana noted that almost 20 years have passed since the creation of the Plan, which has been evaluated over time, in order to analyze the progress and changes that are due, as well as the aspects in which difficulties still exist.
Currently, the FMC is pushing for an updating of the plan in accordance with the new contexts that have emerged and the updating of the Cuban economic model.
The Hero of the Republic of Cuba, Antonio Guerrero, participated in the first part of the meeting, where he expressed on behalf of the Five their admiration for the FMC and all its members, without which the Revolution could not overcome all the challenges it faces.
The National Secretariat of the organization presented Antonio with three postcards with the images of Mariana Grajales, Vilma Espín and Mirta Rodríguez, his mother.
