Miguel Díaz-Canel affirmed that the package of 176 economic measures approved by the National Assembly will create the conditions for young Cubans to build their future on the island without the need to emigrate.
"The first thing is that we are ensuring that all young people have universal access to education, meaning that all young people in Cuba can receive an education. And I would say, without any chauvinism, that our training levels are significant; our general education and our university education are robust systems, efficient systems."
Díaz-Canel made this declaration in an interview given on June 19 to Dominican journalist Roberto Cavada, which was broadcast on Wednesday by Telesistema of the Dominican Republic.
In their opinion, "this has allowed young people trained in Cuban universities to perform exceptionally on an international level. Therefore, it is essential to maintain that."
He offered a second line of work to retain young people on the island, but did not specify to what extent the government has worked to provide concrete results. He referred to economic gains and the possibility of realizing individual projects in the country.
"What we need to consider is what incentives we have to create and what programs we need to develop so that these young people, when they reach those qualification levels, can find a way to create a life plan. I believe that all these transformations we are making in the economic sphere facilitate those projects," he said.
The leader assured the international press that legal avenues for youth development have been established and linked them to the Family Code.
"We also need to address matters related to salaries, finance, and credit, so that young people can move forward when they start their lives. This is supported by the Family Code, which is one of the most recent pieces of legislation in Cuba, and is also backed by Law 178, the Code for Children, Adolescents, and Youth. I believe that this is the way we will make progress and achieve that goal."
Díaz-Canel urged young Cubans not to measure themselves by their material possessions or to compare themselves to other young people around the world based on what they are able to accumulate, but rather by their knowledge.
"I believe that young people need to have self-confidence and critical thinking regarding their experiences. For that, knowledge is essential; culture is necessary. Above all, what we do in the training of young Cubans must lead us to the understanding that individuals, the youth, should not be distinguished by their material possessions, but rather by their culture and knowledge. These knowledge and culture should be used, as good citizens, to contribute to the development of their country."
He urged young Cubans to understand that annexation to the United States is not the right path, but rather commitment to the homeland and to the Revolution.
"When a young person delves into the roots of our identity, history, and culture, they would have to be quite foolish not to realize that Cuba's alternative could never be the annexation to the United States. There is no future for Cuba with annexation to the United States, and this, in turn, leads them to adopt a stance in life that is entirely the opposite: it is about how to make their country great, how to perfect the nation, how to develop it; it is about how to contribute from that perspective of identity, of Cubanness, of commitment to the homeland, and that cannot be separated from a commitment to the Revolution."
The ruler also expressed what the regime's challenge is in guiding young Cubans and steering them away from other ideologies.
"We must ensure that our youth prioritize humanism, which is part of our identity and the essence of the Revolution, over the algorithm. Young people should embrace their cultural identity and connect with our roots against cultural colonization, neocolonialism, or the trivialization present globally. Moreover, our youth should be capable of placing solidarity above the selfishness fostered by capitalist, consumer societies."
Finally, he indicated: "They need to have confidence in themselves and realize that they are fundamental protagonists in the present and are part of the future of the nation."
The speech comes amidst the worst multidimensional crisis Cuba has experienced in decades and an exodus that since 2021 has taken more than a million Cubans abroad, 77% of whom are young people between the ages of 15 and 49.
However, the leader also rejected the notion that emigration is an exclusive phenomenon of Cuba.
"There is often much talk about young Cubans who emigrate as if emigration were a problem unique to Cuba. Emigration is a global issue."
About the 176 measures —which include private banking, foreign franchises, municipal autonomy, and opening up to investment from Cubans abroad— the ruler denied that they are a concession to the pressures from Washington: "Trump does not rule in Cuba, nor does the U.S. government rule in Cuba. Cuba is sovereign."
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