Annual Country Report 2021: Cuba. Country Strategic Plan 2020-2021

Rome (Italy): World Food Programme, 2021.

English

50 p.

ELR1595

When COVID-19 began, Cuba was undergoing an economic downturn. The effects of the global pandemic on trade, tourism and remittances, together with the economic, commercial and financial embargo, reduced the availability of essential goods such as food and medicines, further deteriorating the situation in the country. WFP reached all targeted beneficiaries, mainly elderly women and men, a particularly vulnerable population to COVID-19. WFP aimed to prevent micronutrient deficiencies by distributing specialized nutritious food to children aged 6-23 months, pregnant and lactating women and girls as well as elderly people in selected municipalities with the highest anaemia prevalence, exceeding the planned beneficiaries. WFP could not finance the food supply from agricultural cooperatives to educational institutions through the cash-based transfers (CBT) modality as the negotiation process with the Government to define the CBT mechanism is still ongoing. However, smallholder farmers reallocated their production to hospitals, COVID-19 care centres and community canteens. WFP continued strengthening national and local capacities to manage extreme weather events and hazards such as droughts, hurricanes and earthquakes. WFP fostered initiatives to promote gender equality approaches within agricultural cooperatives and increase women’s economic empowerment and representation in local decision-making bodies. WFP contributed to SDG2 by assisting 705,226 people in emergency and non-emergency contexts, including the population affected by the tropical storm Eta in late 2020, exceeding the planned beneficiaries. In partnership with the Government, WFP also contributed to SDG 17, with USD 693,642 in technical assistance and country capacity strengthening interventions, partnering with 40 national partners on food security and nutrition.

Electronic ed.

ELR 1595

eng

MON-127218