Here below, the opening speech of the First Vice-Minister of Communications of Cuba, Wilfredo González Vidal with the topic: "Working together to promote a shared cooperation and governance", within the sub-forum: "Forum of the Strip and the Route for International Cooperation in Cyberspace" under the slogan: "Taking advantage of openness and cooperation to obtain shared benefits", in the context of the 6th World Internet Conference, in Wuzhen, China.

Honorable Ministers, Heads of Delegations, Delegates, and Guests. On behalf of Cuba, I am deeply grateful for the invitation given to us by the organizers to participate in this 6th edition of the World Internet Conference. An event that annually brings together prestigious representatives from organizations, companies, and communities of the sector to join forces in the search for collaborative mechanisms in areas such as cyberspace, industrial digitization and artificial intelligence.

Satisfaction is doubled because having the opportunity to deliver the opening speech is a sign of the recognition of the efforts made by the Cuban government to computerize society safely and gradually.

Information and communication technologies play a transforming role in economic, social, and cultural development; they are a catalyst for boosting the progress of nations. Hence, the ICT sector is strategic due to its contributions to the new economy and the transformations it generates in the international security scenario.

Cuba defends the principle of peacefully using information and communication technologies for humanity's common welfare and to promote sustainable development in all countries, regardless of their level of scientific and technological development. They should be tools for obtaining knowledge and ensuring peace, based on strict respect for the UN Charter and International Law. Moreover, they should not be used to unleash war, disseminate false news and distort reality for political ends.

In the current situation, urgent action is required, agreed within the framework of the United Nations to prevent the covert and illegal use, by individuals, organizations, and States, of the computer systems of other nations to carry out cyberattacks against third countries, given their potential to provoke international conflicts. Any action aimed at turning cyberspace into a theater of war must be rejected.

Cuba is an advocate of working together on cooperation strategies and not at the expense of nations. Our country suffers the impact caused by the economic, commercial and financial blockade policy imposed by the United States. In the period from 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, the impact on the ICT and telecommunications sector amounted to $55 million.

An example of good practices in cooperation between Cuba and China is the implementation of Digital Terrestrial Television in Cuba. In 2012, the Demonstration Zone was implemented in Havana with Chinese companies, which allowed the Cuban population to access digital TV. Given the success of the result, the Council of Ministers approved the adoption of the DTMB digital terrestrial television transmission standard and authorized its introduction and deployment in Cuba according to its technical specifications, with the necessary technological adaptations and improvements for the country and the subsequent technological evolutions derived from it.

Nowadays, we already have a 70% of digital television coverage for the population, and we signed new agreements to acquire new transmitters and equipment and to extend even more the coverage of the DTTV signal in the territory.