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Cienfuegos: making progress on
development
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY
ALBERTO D. PEREZ
— Special for Granma International —
THE
smallest of Cuba’s provinces, but one of the most
audacious in its development, Cienfuegos has just
taken an important step toward greater economic and
social progress: it joined seven other provinces in
the country that are part of Local Human Development
Program (LHDP).
The
southern province of Cienfuegos materialized this
long-held aspiration, as it was described by Rolando
Díaz, president of the provincial government, in a
speech on the inaugural day, November 17, during
which he noted that his province had requested
incorporation into that program after observing its
successes in other provinces.
The
LHDP/Cuba is a strategy created by the UN
Development Program to support the government
project to encourage administrative decentralization
and propitiate greater economic and social progress
in Cuba.
Doctor Susan McDade, UN resident coordinator in
Cuba, said in an opening meeting that over the eight
years of intense work on that strategy, no less than
800 successful local development projects have been
carried out, with the participation of some 600
entities, both national ones and those of
governments, regions, cities and institutions of all
kinds in other countries.
The
LHDP also involves support from other UN
institutions, such as UNICEF, the World Food Program
(WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the Population Fund (UNPFA), as well as Cuban
and foreign non-governmental organizations.
The
incorporation of Cienfuegos into the LHDP has
initial financial backing from the French NGO Cuba
Cooperation Association, whose president, Roger
Grevoul, participated in the ceremony at the head of
a large delegation. In addition, the Basque Country
has promised support to that effort by Cienfuegos,
as well as contributing to decentralized cooperation
in Cuba’s eastern provinces.
In
addition to the five eastern provinces, the UNDP/LHDP
includes those of Sancti Spíritus and Pinar del Río,
as well as the Old Havana historical quarter. The
Cienfuegos Working Group has been established, and
is headed by Jesús Rey as coordinator.
In
the name of the Cuban government, Orlando Requeijo,
deputy minister of foreign investment and economic
cooperation, saluted the southern province’s
incorporation and thanked its French sponsors and
the UN system, the UNDP, the LHDP and Dr. McDade the
resident coordinator for the support they have
provided to such a successful experience.
The
Central Park in Cienfuegos and its surroundings has
been carefully restored. In the center, one of
Cuba’s architectural treasures: the Terry Theater.
Recuadro:
THE
province of Cienfuegos covers an area of 4,177.9
square kilometers (3.76% of the country). Its
government seat, the city of Cienfuegos, was founded
in 1819 by French colonizers and is the newest of
Cuba’s provincial capitals.
Cienfuegos has a population of 398,053, the
equivalent of 3.53% of the country’s total, and
195,838 are women. Population density is 95.2
inhabitants per square kilometer.
Cienfuegos Bay, one of the largest on Cuba’s
southern coast, has had a decisive influence on the
development of the city and province. There are 32
industrial enterprises in the province. Cuba’s most
efficient thermoelectric plant is located there, and
a large oil refinery is being built in the perimeter
of the bay.
Cienfuegos is an important tourist destination in
south-central Cuba. It has a number of hotels on
beautiful beaches, and an international airport with
service to many countries.
With respect to the capital city, also known as “the
pear of the South,” it stands out for its
French-inspired architectural design and its good
state of preservation, the result of constant work
to that end. Its historical quarter has been
designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. |
