Speakers in General Assembly Decry Decades-Old United States Economic, Commercial Blockade on Cuba, Urge Its Immediate Lifting to End Population’s Suffering
Member States Also Conclude Debate on International Criminal Court, Adopting Draft Resolution Welcoming Tribunal’s Annual Report by Recorded Vote
Consistent with the solidarity demonstrated over the past three decades, delegates at the General Assembly today added yet another feather of support to multilateralism’s cap regarding the lifting of the United States’ 62-year-old economic, commercial and financial sanctions against the Government and people of Cuba.
They unitedly decried this and other uses of unilateral measures in violation of the norms of international cooperation, further highlighting their devastating impacts on diverse areas of the country’s development and national life.
Describing the present situation as contrary to the spirit and letter of past resolutions adopted by the Assembly, Cameroon’s delegate, speaking for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), called for “immediate lifting” of the embargo which has “disastrous humanitarian consequences for the Cuban population” and represents an obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and agreements of the recently adopted Pact for the Future. The representative of Grenada, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that restricting access to fuel imports immensely strains the Cuban Government in maintaining the island’s power grid — keeping millions on the brink of blackouts. The blockade and embargo do not need to isolate Cuba any longer.
“An end to the embargo will be fundamental for Cuba to be able to overcome” its challenges and guarantee its peoples well-being, said Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Brazil, reminding the Assembly that the only sanctions permitted under international law are those adopted by the Security Council under terms of the UN Charter. Brazil remains “firm and categorical” in its opposition to the sanctions and rejects the “extraterritorial application of national discriminatory laws” which have caused incalculable suffering to Cubans and “stood in the way of” their development. The United States should reconsider its policy towards Cuba, remove sanctions, take it off the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism and promote constructive dialogue based on mutual respect and noninterference.
Blockade’s Economic Losses on Cuba Topped $5 Billion in 2023
Putting a figure to the blockade’s associated economic consequences, Uganda’s delegate, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, noted that Cuba, denied access to international markets and international aid, lost over $5 billion in 2023. He urged the United States to end its “failed policy” which has violated “Cuba’s right to fully interact with the international community”. Singapore’s delegate, speaking for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said the embargo “has put brakes on imports, exports, financial transactions, foreign investment, remittances and tourism”. Countries “with the ability to help” should refrain from creating further challenges and obstacles for developing countries, he counselled.
For China’s representative, facts have proved that sanctions and embargoes cannot crush the people of other countries. Therefore, his country opposes hegemonism and power politics, a position well supported by Guyana’s delegate who said: “The cold war has ended and the policy prescriptions of that era must end as well.”
Calls on United States to Eliminate Embargo, List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
Delegations spared no words in their call on the United States to end the blockade which also compromises Cuba’s ability to achieve sustainable development.
“The real promoter and financier of terrorism is the United States regime,” said Venezuela’s representative. That country will never achieve its objectives of turning Cuba into a colony, he stressed, because the Cuban people are determined to exercise their right to self-determination, independence and national sovereignty. His counterpart from the Russian Federation said Cuba does not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its people. The blockade is “utterly futile” and “is an egregious example of extraterritorial, unilateral, coercive measures preventing a sovereign State from pursuing its own development model”. It aims to intimidate other States and perpetuate United States neo-colonialism, he said.
Syria’s delegate urged the United States to “revisit this destructive policy” against Cuba and “immediately and unconditionally” eliminate its terrorism list. His country is also beset by unilateral measures of that country and the European Union, whose acts are representative of economic terrorism akin to terrorist organizations like Da’esh and Al-Nasr. They daily afflict Syrians and constrain his Government’s ability to deliver services to improve the humanitarian and economic situations, including increasing the number of refugees returning home.
Honduras’s representative, speaking for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said the “unjust inclusion” of Cuba on the List of State
Sponsors of Terrorism “has increased the chilling effect” of the imposed restrictions and worsened its chances of establishing financial relations with international partners.
Despite Sanctions, Cuba Contributing to Other Countries’ Advancement
As delegates expressed their positions on the subject, it was not lost on some speakers how, despite the difficult position the Caribbean nation has found itself in for over six decades, it has not been deterred from contributing to the advancement of other countries.
Speaking for the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, Eritrea’s delegate, recalled the COVID-19 vaccines which Cuba developed and “put to the service of humanity”, and added that “the world needs more vaccines, more solidarity; not more blockade.” A “form of collective punishment on the Cuban population”, the embargo represents a “shame” for the United Nations and “multilateralism itself”.
Chad’s speaker, on behalf of the African Group, said that the continent has been gripped with the “Cuban dilemma” for some time. Cuba has for decades made “numerous positive contributions to Africa, and many other States, and people all over the world”. Likewise, the representative of Iraq, speaking for the Group of 77 and China, wondered why that country, having made several positive contributions to the international community for decades, has been subjected to an embargo with an enormous impact on its public health and banking.
Adoption of Draft Resolution: Annual Report of International Criminal Court
Afterwards, the Assembly resumed its consideration of the International Criminal Court (See Press Release GA/12548), adopting a draft resolution (document A/79/L.8) that welcomed the latter’s annual report by a recorded vote of 113 in favour to 10 against (Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syria) with 30 abstentions. By the text, the Assembly welcomed States parties to relevant international instruments that consider international cooperation and judicial assistance — emphasizing its importance in conducting effective investigations and prosecutions — through bilateral and multilateral international agreements. It also emphasized the importance of cooperation with States that are not parties to the Rome Statute and encouraged States to contribute to the trust fund established for the benefit of victims and their families of crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction.
Several Speakers Say Court Increasingly Politicized
Prior to the vote, Nicaragua’s representative observed that the Court does not have jurisdiction over countries that do not recognize it and are not party to the Rome Statute. “We have witnessed how Western countries have abused and used this Court,” she went on to say, adding that Nicaragua will vote against the resolution. His counterpart from Belarus, stating that the Court has been used for political purposes, namely pursuing arbitrary expansion of its mandate, said he voted against the resolution given the Court’s politicized nature.
Also noting the Court’s increased politicization, India’s speaker, who abstained from the vote, stressed that the tribunal must not seek to impose obligations on States which are not party to the Rome Statute.
However, Lithuania’s delegate, in exercise of the right of reply, said that while Belarus is not a State party to it, the Court may exercise its jurisdiction where at least a part of the contact takes place in the territory of the State party. In this case, victims crossing into the territories of Lithuania and other State parties because of expulsion or other coercive acts.
Belarus’ representative retorted that it is “absolutely clear” that Lithuania’s accusations are absurd and fabricated on the approach of the Court. The spate of unfriendly actions further set apart their countries. He called on Lithuania to abandon its “policy of pressure” and restore relations.
Continuation of Debate on International Court of Justice
The 193-member organ also continued its debate on the International Court of Justice which it began 25 October. (See Press Release GA/12647.)
The observer for the State of Palestine said that Israel “has not only ignored, but utterly breached” every single part of the International Court of Justice’s rulings and orders and is “committing genocide in Gaza”. He called on the international community to review its domestic legislation and policies and to align them with the determinations of that Court. The Security Council and General Assembly should also adopt more measures to deal with Israel, which “considers itself above the law”, he emphasized.
Warning against the “cynical abuse” of the Court, whose “harmful effects are already felt outside” its halls, Israel’s delegate recalled that his country is fighting a war it did not want, a war that began after Israel suffered the worst terror attack in its history. “Our war is not with the civilian populations in which these terrorists intentionally embed themselves,” he said. “Allow us to set the record straight: there is no genocide in Gaza.”