FORTY-SIX parties participated in the 24th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties (IMCWP) that was held in Havana, Cuba from August 7- 9, 2026. Emilio Lopez, the Head of the International Department of the Communist Party of Cuba, presided over the sessions of the Working Group and the Plenary of the IMCWP. The Plenary adopted a joint declaration reaffirming solidarity with the people of Cuba who are resisting US imperialist aggression. The theme of the IMCWP was: “Defending and honouring the legacy of the Cuban Revolution on the centenary of Fidel’s birth; deepening solidarity with socialist Cuba; strengthening our joint actions; and uniting our forces for peace and against imperialist aggression.” To honour the legacy of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, the IMCWP was held on the centenary of his birth.

The Plenary also adopted a series of joint actions that were agreed by the participating parties. Most of these joint actions are against the imperialist aggression against Cuba, Palestine and Iran. They are also for the reestablishment of peace and an end to wars. 

The Plenary of the IMCWP started with an Open Session in which the first Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Canal-Diaz participated. Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organisation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba explained the current situation in Cuba. He was followed by Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, Member of the Polit Bureau of the PCC and also the Foreign Minister of Cuba. He explained the US threats and aggression on Cuba which have intensified in the recent period. The economic and social changes, introduced in Cuba after thorough debate with the people and within the Party and the Parliament, were explained by Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo, a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party and head of its Economic and Productive Department.

Representatives of the Communist and Workers’ Parties placed their views on the current international situation, the challenges confronting them and reiterating their solidarity with the PCC, the people of Cuba and the Cuban state. All of them shared details of the various solidarity activities they had carried out in their countries and pledged to strengthen them in the coming days. All the participating parties denounced imperialist aggression not only on Cuba but also on Palestine and Iran.

No participant from Russia could attend the IMCWP because of the absence of direct flights and the refusal of any European country to give them a transit visa. Another reason for the absence of many parties is the lack of flight options to Cuba due to current sanctions. Many airline companies have cut their flights or stopped flying to Cuba. As the Cubans stated, it is taking a lot of effort for people to travel to Cuba and this does not include the exponential costs of travel. They greatly appreciated the parties that took all pains and made the effort to be part of the 24th IMCWP.

The President of Cuba and First Secretary of the PCC Miguel Canal-Diaz participated in the concluding session and addressed the IMCWP. He spoke about the challenges before the Communist and Workers’ parties and the growing threat of imperialism and neo-fascist forces. This is the time for all the Communist and Workers’ parties to close ranks and strengthen the struggle against these growing forces of reaction. He thanked the people of various countries for their solidarity with Cuba and standing with them in these difficult times. He vowed to never surrender before imperialism and promised to stand true to the ideals of Fidel Castro and Marxism-Leninism. Invoking Fidel Castro’s legacy, Díaz-Canel stressed that Marxism-Leninism cannot be treated as a “dead doctrine” or a catechism, but as a living method and instrument for addressing concrete problems.

The final section of his speech dealt with the international communist movement. Díaz-Canel urged communist and workers’ parties to move beyond declarations and take a “qualitative leap” in international coordination. He called for effective networks of solidarity, stronger action against the blockade of Cuba, efforts to break the media siege surrounding Cuba and Palestine, mobilisation in trade unions and social movements, and deeper theoretical work on socialism under the new conditions created by digitalisation, changing forms of work and the ecological crisis.

He also called for self-criticism within the parties and said that we should be courageous to accept our mistakes and rectify them. “It is not enough to condemn the empire.”

Communists, he said, must win people's confidence from below, "win the streets, neighbourhoods, factories and schools, and organise, politicise and mobilise the working class under the complex conditions of contemporary capitalism". Unity, he emphasised, cannot mean uniformity, but rather a common determination to struggle and win. He called on communist parties to act as a genuine vanguard not merely in elections or institutions, but above all in the organisation and mobilisation of workers and other sections of the people. He urged the strengthening of the international communist movement while maintaining strategic clarity against imperialism, fascism and monopoly capital.

“Despite the military power of the United States, the international communist movement is not intimidated; it resists and stands its ground”, Díaz-Canel declared. Calling for renewed international action in defence of Cuba, he presented that struggle as inseparable from resistance to racism, xenophobia, supremacism, colonialism and imperial domination.

“Let us not settle for surviving,” Díaz-Canel told the delegates. “Let us aspire to build together a world where the word ‘solidarity’ is not an ornament, but the driving force of everything.”

The meeting closed with calls of “Hasta la victoria siempre!”, “Long live Fidel!”, “Long live the unity of the communists!” and “Long live the struggle of our peoples!”.

The Plenary and the IMCWP concluded with the inspiring rendition of the Internationale.

PLAN OF ACTION

The Communist and Workers' Parties participating at the 24th IMCWP hosted by the Communist Party of Cuba in Havana declare their will and determination, until the next meeting, to engage in joint and convergent actions on the following main issues:

1. Opposing imperialist wars, the arms race, including nuclear weapons, and foreign military bases; rejecting all the practices of NATO, which intensified its preparations for war at the last NATO Summit in Ankara; increasing class-based propaganda and mobilisation against NATO's expansion and aggression throughout the world; standing against the involvement of NATO and its allies in the wars in Ukraine and Iran and in Israel's aggression against the Palestinian people; strengthening the struggle for disengagement from NATO and for its dissolution; organising anti-imperialist, anti-war events on September 21 (World Peace Day); and supporting the efforts of the World Peace Council.
2. Denounce the arbitrary inclusion of Cuba on the list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism and oppose interference in its internal affairs. Express support and solidarity with the Cuban people and the Communist Party of Cuba in calling for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial, financial, and energy blockade imposed by the government of the United States. Strengthen solidarity with Cuba by organising initiatives in our respective countries; hold protests outside US embassies and in other public spaces; denounce the impact of the two US executive orders (of January 29 and May 1) on Cuba's development, including the electricity sector, food production, tourism, and healthcare; disseminate the truth about Cuba and counter media manipulation orchestrated by Yankee imperialism; mobilise public opinion against any threat of military intervention against Cuba.
3. Continuing coordinated actions and sustained political mobilisation and public advocacy in our respective countries to demand an end to imperialist aggression against Iran and affirm that all attacks carried out by the governments of the United States and Israel against Iran are illegal and violate international law.
4. Demanding an end to Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people, an end to the occupation, realisation of the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination, resistance, and an independent sovereign state. Demanding the right of return for refugees, implementation of relevant UN resolutions, and the release of Palestinian political prisoners; condemn the colonial and discriminatory policies of the United States and Israel, including settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Syrian Golan Heights, the Shebaa Farms, and the Kfar Shouba Hills in southern Lebanon; commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29.
5. Considering the struggle against fascism and its manifestations as one of the priorities of the international communist movement. Organise Victory Day 2027 commemorating the victory over fascism in 1945.
6. Organising May Day 2027 with greater strength as a day of class struggle for workers' rights, social justice, equality, abolition of capitalist exploitation throughout the world, and against the criminalisation of workers' struggles and trade union rights.
7. Showing solidarity with communists facing repression, interference, and bans, and whose political rights and freedoms are being usurped anywhere in the world.
8. Developing joint activities against anti-communism, fascism, and the fabricated propaganda against the historical contribution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to humanity. Undertake joint efforts to mark the 110th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, emphasising the enduring relevance of socialism throughout the world.
9. Strengthening women's struggle against inequality, oppression, and discrimination by increasing mobilisation on March 8 (International Women's Day), especially among working women.
10. More than fifty years after the war, occupation, and artificial division of the island and its people, supporting the reunification of Cyprus in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. Supporting the struggle of the people of Western Sahara for their right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
11. Actively participating in popular mobilisations to demand the protection of the environment and reject the capitalist model of production and consumption.
12. Achieving joint action by Communist and Workers' Parties and their affiliated organisations to strengthen international anti-imperialist organisations, particularly the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), the World Peace Council (WPC), the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), and the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF).
13. Strengthening interaction and cooperation among Communist and Workers' Parties in all regions of the world to pave the way for the 25th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in 2027.