7. Similarly, the Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) was created in 2000 to enable the Ministries of Foreign Affairs to hold regular bilateral and multilateral consultations. South Africa's unequivocal support for Cuba in the international multilateral arena has benefitted Cuba, especially with regard to the existing United Nations (UN) resolutions, namely the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo, and the situation of human rights in Cuba. 2. Cuba's political and economic systems