The role of new generations in the country’s transformation and as the successor to the revolutionary process was highlighted today in the capital, during the state awards ceremony of the Young Communist League (UJC), which will soon celebrate its 64th anniversary on 4 April.

With the presence of Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of the Republic, the commitment of Cuban youth to continue doing more for Cuba was reaffirmed.

In his speech, Yaliel Cobo Calvo, Second Secretary of the UJC National Committee, stated that this generation embodies the values born from the heat of the struggles for independence and from the men and women who gave their lives for the Revolution.

He noted that the awards reflect something deeper: the spirit of a youth who see themselves as the continuation of the work that has been built and who are willing to defend the country at whatever cost, especially in a context where threats against the nation are increasing.

The Cuban president presented the UJC Honorary Banner to 10 centres distinguished for fulfilling their social work and contribution to the country, while also awarding the Julio Antonio Mella Order, the organisation’s highest recognition, to 12 young people with exceptional merits in study, work and the defence of the Homeland.

The nation’s highest authorities also presented the Abel Santamaría Cuadrado and José Antonio Echeverría medals to more than 30 UJC members who stood out in their various activities.

A special moment was the recognition of young people who took part in the combat actions of 3 January during the US government’s aggression against Venezuela.

In exclusive statements to the Cuban News Agency, Yorkis Joel Sánchez González, secretary of the UJC committee at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, a centre that received the Honorary Banner, explained that this collective is committed to the task of building a stronger electro-energy system, to boost the country’s development and reduce the troublesome blackouts.

He added that in the electricity sector, the nation has a youth vanguard that works day by day from its trench in support of the revolutionary cause.

Karen Urrutia Pérez, UJC secretary at the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, recipient of the Julio Antonio Mella Order, expressed her emotion at the award, but stressed that her greatest pride was having participated in obtaining the Abdala vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19 and contributing her grain of sand to the land that made her a professional.

Also present at the ceremony were Politburo members Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State; Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister of the Republic; and Roberto Morales Ojeda, Organisation Secretary of the Party Central Committee; as well as Meyvis Estévez Echeverría, First Secretary of the UJC National Committee.

Also participating were other members of the Politburo and the Party, officials from the State and Government, representatives of mass organisations, members of the UJC National Bureau, student organisations, youth movements, the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior.

On 4 April, not only will 64 years of the UJC be commemorated, but also the 65th anniversary of the José Martí Pioneer Organisation, both structures defined as guarantees of the continuity of the Cuban revolutionary process.