[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1135, 393], "category": "Text", "text": "industries and biotechnology. A key objective in this priority area aims at strengthening the fairness of Cuban fiscal policies towards equitable public funding to promote the universal coverage of public services and social protection and protect socio-economic rights and the principle of equity enshrined in the Cuban constitution, while providing a conducive business environment. This area will also include support for the modernisation of other key public services, promoting the use of ICTs towards digital administration aimed at improving the efficiency of public service delivery and transparency while ensuring, in adherence to international standards, data protection and confidentiality of citizens' information. The link to regional and global economic flows will focus on the support to Cuban biotechnology, especially in the development, production and distribution of global public goods], and the continued support and effective use of the trade, investment and cooperation windows."}, {"bbox": [96, 417, 1135, 473], "category": "Text", "text": "The engagement with CSOs and the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women will be a transversal axis in both priority areas:"}, {"bbox": [96, 496, 1135, 1267], "category": "Text", "text": "**Enhancing the enabling environment, capacity and participation of CSOs:** Although the official political narrative seems to be in favour of promoting spaces for citizens' participation, it is a fact that there are evident differences between participation by the different actors of civil society in Cuba, divided mainly between organisation which have been allowed to register and unregistered organizations. The registered CSOs manage reduced budgets due to the economic situation of the country and the non-registered ones do not have legal personality and therefore operate in a legal limbo and cannot receive funds under the EU cooperation budget lines. There are some CSOs that operate under the umbrella of recognised faith-based organisations. In practice, no civil society groups independent from the state and the communist party apparatus have been able to legally register in recent years. Compared to the national level, at the local level more interaction between citizens and local authorities is beginning to be perceived. Thus, local governments, with greater autonomy from the new Constitution, are perceived as a potential gateway to enhance the participation of CSOs in Cuba. The technical capacity of CSOs is acceptable, due to the generally high educational level in Cuba. This is reflected in both thematic and operational management capabilities. Organizational and structural capacities are, however, low mainly due to weak financial and technological capacity. The US embargo also plays against it, since many times the projects are very limited by the impossibility of transferring funds, acquiring technology, acquiring materials, etc. The human rights situation remains very difficult and has been gradually deteriorating, with severe violations in the area of civil and political rights through arbitrary detentions, harassment of activists, independent journalists and human rights defenders, lack of due process and limitations to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and travel restrictions. The traditionally positive trajectory in social and economic rights has been deeply eroding, as universal health coverage and education have been undermined by financial shortages and domestic economic inefficiencies. This situation has been exponentially aggravated by the impact of COVID-19 in 2020-2021, with a lack of basic medicines, equipment and materials, among other limitations, that affected the health response. Low wages and housing problems remain serious problems. However, since the reaffirmation of the 2011 Economic Reform guidelines of the socialist model, there have been some modest but symbolically important changes with respect to private sector business actors that can be seen as potentially leading to a more enabling environment for CSOs in the long run. The objectives reflected in the EU Roadmap for engagement for Civil Society in Cuba include support to improve the enabling environment for civil society, strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations and its structured participation in national policies as important actors for development and defence of human rights."}, {"bbox": [96, 1291, 1135, 1635], "category": "Text", "text": "**Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women:** Despite having a favourable context and legal framework for the promotion of gender equality and concrete advances in relation to their participation in the public sphere, there are important challenges as reflected in the National Survey on Gender Equality carried out in 2016 (results published in 2019). The survey has contributed to characterize the violence against women in the context of couple relationships (26.7% of women victims of violence in their relationship). The household chores are assumed mainly by women, who continue to be the main responsible for the care, accompaniment and temporary and permanent attention of dependent people inside and outside homes. Cuban women spend more time (14 hours more on average in a week) than men doing housework at home. The country faces other challenges of sexist and discriminatory patterns, stereotypes linked to employment, family, sexuality and maternal and paternal roles. To these challenges, others derived from the current context of economic crisis are added, which are affecting areas such as employment, the issue of care and violence, among others, so it will be necessary to closely monitor the impact they have on women and support where necessary as indicated in the EU-Cuba Gender Implementation Plan."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 13"}]