Second Training Session of the Country's Mayors closed by the Prime Minister
The Second Training Program for Mayors and Their Work Teams was held from June 16 to 21, with 46 graduates, 35 of them mayors, representing all the country's provinces. The Directorate for the Preparation and Development of Cadres of the Ministry of Higher Education, the Directorate of State and Government Cadres, the Higher School of State and Government Cadres (ESCEG), and the Office for Assistance to Local Administrations of the People's Power participated in coordinating the program. The event was inaugurated by Political Bureau member and Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, accompanied by the Secretary of the Council of State, Homero Acosta Alvarez, who gave a lecture on the institutional structure of state bodies and their interrelations with the government, with an emphasis on the work of mayors and the interpretation of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba and its regulations.
Among the topics covered were the municipal work system, the government program to eradicate distortions and boost the economy, the Economic Plan and Budget and Tax Administration, the Municipal Development Strategy, National Security and Defense, Criminal Liability and Crimes Associated with Administrative Corruption, Food and Nutritional Sovereignty, Addressing Public Complaints, Employment and Wages, Communication, Participation, and Digital Transformation, Science- and Innovation-Based Government Management, the Territorial Statistical Information System, and Staff Selection and Training. The Rector of the ESCEG explained the methodology for diagnosing and projecting innovations, guiding the development of a project based on a problem specific to each municipality for submission by September 1st. The project must be coordinated by the Mayor with the participation of the Municipal Administration Council.
Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz closed the Mayors' Training Session with a presentation on the priorities and challenges facing municipal administration. He emphasized that the work of the Administrative Council and the mayor is essential in implementing the Government Program to correct distortions and boost the economy. "Each municipality is different, each municipality has its own characteristics, and therefore must have its own Government Program," Marrero Cruz stated, adding that it must take into account the municipal development strategy. They are closely linked; the Government Program cannot be on one side and the development strategy on the other.
He also called for updating development strategies based on a diagnosis of the main problems and potential of the territories, as well as the needs of the population. He stated that all available resources in localities must be leveraged to improve the quality of services and increase the production of goods to meet the demands of their inhabitants, thereby supporting, at the same time, the difficult task of the People's Power Delegate, the foundation of our political system and our socialist democracy.
At another point in his speech, the Head of Government stated that it is necessary to assume responsibility and a sense of innovation in the improvement of the administration of the People's Power Bodies and called for the design of the staff required by each municipality. He also emphasized the need to establish work systems based on participation, popular control, and accountability of cadres, an essential and direct link with our people.
Finally, he conveyed to the mayors his appreciation for the work they are doing under these difficult conditions and his commitment to continue preparing, training, and supporting them. He reiterated that only by working together will we gradually overcome the obstacles and emerge from this complex situation. To achieve this, he said, we must consolidate the unity that Army General Raúl Castro Ruz called us to as our main strategic weapon. Only with this will we be able to move forward.
