In Cuba, health is a high priority area for the government, with universal and free coverage and access, based on the Primary Health Care (APS, in Spanish) strategy. The results achieved in the country are an international benchmark, especially for developing countries.

The country has a National Strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors (2019-2025), which promotes the adoption of healthy lifestyles with community participation and will not only allow achieving Goal 3.4, but also prevent preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years; contribute to economic growth, productivity and decent work for all, especially for young people; promote the full and effective participation of women, and thereby improve income and foster resilience of vulnerable populations; and facilitate access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene services.

Improving water quality, wastewater treatment, reducing pollution, eliminating discharges and emissions of hazardous chemicals and materials are key challenges to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and to allow action on central risk factors for the control of these diseases.

Achieving higher levels of economic productivity is one of the key goals for Cuba due to its ability to stimulate economic growth, investment and the dynamization of development goals.

Consequently, important transformations are being implemented aimed at better exploiting efficiency reserves, achieving greater business autonomy and promoting productive linkages among all economic actors, with an emphasis on knowledge- and technology-intensive activities. This contributes to improving agricultural productivity, producer income and food sustainability; universal and equitable access to quality drinking water and sanitation; universal access to energy services, especially through renewable energies and improving energy efficiency; promoting responsible production and consumption, efficient management and use of natural resources, reducing the negative environmental impact on cities and increasing the quality of life of vulnerable people and communities.

Improving water quality is a key challenge to promote higher levels of productivity by favouring health conditions, facilitating food production and improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable communities and contributing to territorial development.

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Promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization is a critical path to stimulate economic growth in Cuba. To meet this challenge, the country implements the Industrial Development Policy and the Comprehensive Automation Policy, which will lead to the transformation and modernization of the industrial plant incorporating environmental sustainability criteria. Promoting industrial development allows mobilizing additional financial resources, stimulating full employment and decent work, and modernizing and converting infrastructure, especially energy, towards sustainable models. It is key to stimulating agricultural productivity, investments in rural infrastructure and food sovereignty. It enhances South-South cooperation in science, technology and innovation, vaccine research and development, as well as the development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies. In turn, it contributes to promoting inclusion, security and resilience of cities and human settlements, combating poverty and the effects of climate change, fishing exploitation and soil degradation.

Reducing industrialization gaps and achieving sustainable and inclusive industrialization implies having strong institutional arrangements that do not mean setbacks in terms of quality and efficient use of water resources, confronting climate change, rational management of chemicals and waste, fishing exploitation, as well as in the protection, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

The high degree of urbanization in Cuba determines the importance of focusing on cities, their planning and management as engines of economic and social development and their progressive resilience and adaptability to hazards, vulnerabilities and risks. Inclusive and sustainable urbanization stimulates greater equality and guarantees access to basic services such as water and energy, through an increasing proportion of renewable energies and greater energy efficiency. It contributes to the sustainability of food production, while stimulating productivity, efficient production and consumption, modernization and conversion of infrastructure, and access to information and communication technologies. It allows reducing deaths and diseases from hazardous chemicals and pollution of air, water and soil, more efficient use of natural resources, greater resilience and adaptation to climate change, as well as conservation, restoration and sustainable use of ecosystems.

The magnitude of the challenge of inclusive urbanization requires, first of all, ensuring a significant mobilization of resources from various sources, including development cooperation. For small island developing States countries like Cuba, an inclusive urbanization strategy requires internalizing the sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems.

In Cuba, the promotion of peace, inclusion and social justice are an essential part of state policies and actions. The rule of law prevails and, based on the principle of legality, institutions responsible for enforcing the law are obliged to act in accordance with the law. With the entry into force of the new Constitution, the catalogue of rights was expanded and the Guarantees System was strengthened. All citizens enjoy equitable access to justice. There are resources, avenues and mechanisms for citizens to assert their rights, and to obtain the protection recognized by the law in the rightful and equitable enjoyment of such rights.

Through the definition of clear rules and the strengthening of institutional mechanisms, greater social, economic and political inclusion of all people is promoted, as well as rights and access to basic resources, such as water availability, sustainable sanitation and management. In turn, it allows sustainable management, conservation, restoration and efficient use of natural resources, terrestrial ecosystems, all types of forests and land and soil rehabilitation.