by Yadirys Echenique Paz, Ambassador of Cuba
On 27 and 28 October, the United Nations General Assembly will once again debate and vote on the resolution entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.”
As it has done for more than 3 decades, the international community will have another opportunity to pronounce itself on a unilateral policy that continues to inflict serious damage on the Cuban people and that has been overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of UN Member States.
It is precisely because of the approaching vote that the United States government has intensified its efforts to reduce international support for Cuba’s resolution. Cuba has denounced a campaign of political and diplomatic pressure aimed at influencing sovereign governments and altering long-standing positions of support for the Cuban cause.
This is not a new practice. Every year, as the debate on the blockade approaches, Washington mobilises its political machinery in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable and avoid yet another defeat at the United Nations. What is particularly alarming on this occasion, however, is the extent of the pressure exerted on other states, including direct contacts with heads of state and government in an effort to change their positions ahead of the vote.
Such actions run contrary to the principles of mutual respect, non-interference, and sovereign equality upon which the international system is founded. No country should be subjected to pressure for exercising its sovereign right to vote freely within a multilateral organisation.
The reality Washington seeks to conceal is becoming increasingly evident. The blockade remains the principal obstacle to Cuba’s economic and social development. Its extraterritorial sanctions, financial persecution, trade restrictions, and threats against companies and third countries have a direct impact on Cuba’s ability to acquire food, medicines, fuel, raw materials, and essential technologies.
Measures taken over the past year have further aggravated this situation. Restrictions affecting fuel supplies have had a severe impact on key sectors of the economy and public services. At the same time, thousands of containers destined for Cuba face significant obstacles in international ports due to the fear among shipping companies and logistics operators of being penalised by US authorities.
As repeatedly denounced by Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla the current campaign seeks to divert attention from the central issue that will be discussed at the United Nations: the illegal, immoral, and inhumane nature of the blockade and its devastating consequences for the Cuban people.
The United States is fully aware that it lacks international support to defend this policy. Successive votes in the General Assembly have demonstrated Washington’s profound isolation on this issue. Year after year, the overwhelming majority of nations call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the blockade and reaffirm their commitment to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
For this reason, the debate on 27 and 28 October goes beyond the case of Cuba alone. It is also about defending multilateralism, the sovereign equality of states, and the right of every people to determine their own destiny free from threats and coercion.
Cuba is confident that the international community will once again stand on the side of these principles. In the face of pressure, sovereignty will prevail. In the face of intimidation campaigns, the dignity of nations will prevail. And in the face of attempts to undermine support for Cuba’s resolution, the truth about a policy that the world has condemned for decades will once again prevail, along with the growing and universal demand for its definitive end.
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