A/78/PV.26 General Assembly

Peru aligns itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries; and Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (see A/78/PV.24). Peru welcomes the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Every year, the General Assembly reiterates its firm position on the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against Cuba. Last year, 185 countries — almost all of the States Members of this Organization — expressed their overwhelming support for the lifting of the embargo. That result reflects our legitimate collective will in line with the basic norms of international law and of the General Assembly. Likewise, it sent a clear and unmistakable signal that it is essential to put an end to such unilateral measures so that Cuba can advance along the path of development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. From the most recent report of the Secretary- General (A/78/84), I would like to highlight the response provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which concludes that the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba continues to negatively affect the enjoyment of human rights of persons in the country, in particular the most vulnerable. It reiterates that, when unilateral sanctions target an entire country or address entire economic sectors, the most vulnerable people in that country — those who are least protected — are likely to be the worst harmed. It also specifies that the people of those countries are in no way responsible for the policies targeted by the sanctions and, to varying degrees, have already been living in a precarious situation for prolonged periods through no fault of their own. Likewise, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights details examples that illustrate how the embargo particularly affects the rights to health, adequate food and education of the Cuban people. Peru does not agree with the imposition of unilateral sanctions of any kind. The only legitimate sanctions are those adopted by the Security Council in the context of the exercise of its competence in the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. Even in those cases, such sanctions are clearly delimited. For example, a couple of weeks ago, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2700 (2023), renewing the sanctions regime applicable to Haiti. In its nineteenth preambular paragraph, it states once again that the measures imposed by that resolution are not intended to have adverse humanitarian consequences for the civilian population and that their appropriateness will be continuously reviewed. The unanimous adoption of the resolution reflects the fact that for all members of the Council, including its permanent members, it is important to consider the adverse humanitarian consequences for the civilian population. That consideration should apply to the situations of all States without distinction. In the context of the multiple crises we are experiencing, any action that directly affects people’s living conditions creates consequences at multiple levels, and its impact may be structural, multidimensional or cross-cutting or may multiply the underlying causes. Therefore, any measure that has adverse humanitarian consequences for the population of any State or any nation must be eliminated or suspended immediately. Peru shares the opinion of practically the entire international community which believes that the embargo against Cuba runs counter to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and to international human rights law. Consequently, Peru affirms once again that it will vote in favour of draft resolution A/78/L.5, entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”, pursuant to a State policy that it has been upholding continuously for more than 30 years.

Allow me to begin by congratulating the delegation of Cuba, headed by its Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and to thank it for presenting draft resolution A/78/L.5 on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba, which in previous years has enjoyed the support of the majority of United Nations Member States. Chile is committed to effective multilateralism and reaffirms its full support for the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs and the freedom of international trade and navigation. For more than 30 consecutive years, the General Assembly has adopted by an overwhelming majority resolutions calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America. Chile would like to reaffirm its conviction that the imposition of unilateral coercive measures is contrary to international law. Chile does not agree with the imposition of unilateral sanctions of any kind. The only legitimate sanctions are those adopted by the Security Council in the context of the exercise of its competence in the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. The embargo has created and continues to create shortages and suffering for the entire Cuban population. It limits and delays economic and social progress and impedes the achievement of the development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals. We therefore deplore the fact that the embargo unilaterally imposed against Cuba, which has been in place for more than half a century, remains in force. In that regard, the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system for operational activities for development in Cuba, in its report of 18 April, noted that, “The exclusion of Cuba from international financial institutions may be the most significant obstacle to the country’s development and meeting its 2030 Agenda goals.” (A/78/84, p. 136) Similarly, and according to the report of the United Nations Development Programme of 29 March, “The embargo has an impact on the population’s most vulnerable groups and on human development in general. “According to official estimates, the cumulative direct and indirect losses for the Cuban economy due to the embargo from the early 1960s until February 2022 amount to $154.2 billion at current prices.” (ibid., p.152) Chile is firmly convinced that only through direct dialogue, multilateral mechanisms and international law can differences between States be addressed. Therefore, we reaffirm the need to put an end to the blockade of Cuba and the application of extraterritorial measures associated with that policy, as well as the exclusion of Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, which exacerbates the impact of the blockade. It has been clearly shown over the course of the more than 60 years of the application of unilateral coercive measures against Cuba that the Cuban people can still survive thanks to their dignity, perseverance and hope. The economic embargo is an anachronism from a bygone era and must be put to an end. Chile will vote in favour of the draft resolution being presented, expressing once again its belief in and commitment to the Cuban people.

Brazil associates itself with the statements made by the representatives of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (see A/78/PV.24), and makes the following comments in its national capacity. I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and thank the Secretary-General for his report (A/78/84) on this item. My delegation reiterates its firm opposition to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba, as well as to the extraterritorial application of discriminatory national trade laws. Brazil does not agree with the imposition of unilateral sanctions of any kind. The only legitimate sanctions are those adopted by the Security Council in the context of the exercise of its competence in the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. We have called for many years for the normalization of relations with Cuba by the Government of the United States of America. The rejection of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba since 1962 is virtually an international consensus. The sanctions imposed on Cuba have not only generated significant losses in monetary terms over the past 60 years but have also, in qualitative terms, affected and undoubtedly continue to affect the full enjoyment of the rights of the Cuban people. The embargo mainly hurts the poorest, who suffer the impact of those unilateral measures through economic uncertainty and unemployment. The embargo also constitutes an obstacle to Cuba’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Cuba’s inclusion on the United States list of State sponsors of terrorism, on 12 January 2021, compounds the impact of the economic embargo. That designation is unfounded. We therefore call for the removal of Cuba from the list. Intensifying economic relations with Cuba is the right path to follow for all countries interested in supporting the island’s development and improving the living conditions of millions of Cuban citizens. In his speech at the opening of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly (see A/78/PV.4), on 19 September, President Lula da Silva declared that Brazil would continue to denounce measures taken without the backing of the Charter of the United Nations, such as the economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba and the attempt to classify Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism. Today’s statement reinforces that important and urgent call. In conclusion, Brazil will vote in favour of draft resolution A/78/L.5.

Barbados aligns itself with the statements delivered (see A/78/PV.24) by the representative of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 (G77) and China; Saint Lucia, on behalf of the Caribbean Community; and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations are founded on respect for the sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, the rights of peoples to self- determination, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the maintenance of friendly relations among States. The peaceful coexistence of our States and the sustainable development of our peoples require us all to abide by those principles. For these reasons, Barbados opposes the imposition of unilateral punitive measures, especially when they involve the extraterritorial application of legislation that violates international law and restricts freedom of trade and navigation and the sovereignty and freedom of States. Barbados views the continued imposition of the economic, commercial and financial embargo against the Republic of Cuba to run counter to both the letter and spirit of the United Nations Charter. The annual report of the Secretary-General (A/78/84) presents an impressive catalogue of submissions by Member States. Those highlight a shared perspective of opposition to the efforts to isolate Cuba, which ultimately inhibit the development of normal economic and cultural relations, distorts trade and investment and impede legitimate business opportunities among neighbouring States. When my Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, delivered her remarks in Havana at the September G77 and China summit, she observed that “the indomitable Cuban spirit continues to shine in spite of 60 plus years of a callous, cruel and crippling economic blockade”. Indeed, as part of its submission to the Secretary- General’s report, the Government of Barbados acknowledged with deep appreciation that, in spite of the blockade, Cuba has provided invaluable support to the national health service of Barbados, including sending, under contract agreement, medical personnel to combat the coronavirus disease pandemic. Cuba remains a beacon for South-South cooperation. The combination of all that I have said so far, together the multiple times that we and others have expressed those very sentiments, both within and outside of the Assembly, leaves Barbados with no other option than to reiterate, once again, its call for Cuba to be freed from these harsh and debilitating measures as well as for Cuba to be removed from the States Department’s list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism, which is equally — if not more — debilitating. Barbados continues to maintain excellent relations with the United States of America and Cuba. In that spirit too, we further urge the Government of the United States to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Government of Cuba, aimed at normalizing relations. Such a step would remove a source of tension and conflict and improve the prospects for peace, development and cooperation in our region. In support of those principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, Barbados, as in previous years, fully supports the contents of draft resolution A/78/L.5, before the General Assembly, entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. We will vote in favour of the adoption of the draft resolution before the General Assembly.

Belize aligns itself with the statements delivered earlier (see A/78/PV.24) by the representatives of Saint Lucia, on behalf of the Caribbean Community; El Salvador, on behalf of the Central American Integration System; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; and Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We welcome the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Belize registers again its unequivocal condemnation of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. For over three decades, the General Assembly has consistently and with near unanimity, called for the end of the illegal, immoral and unjustified financial, commercial and trade embargo imposed on Cuba. And yet the embargo continues to be not only imposed, but intensified, by the United States against Cuba in audacious defiance of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the resounding call of the General Assembly through 30 successive resolutions. All Members of the United Nations have a duty to respect and adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, including respect for sovereignty, non-interference, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the maintenance of friendly relations among States. There are no exceptions for violations of international law, and there is no Member State above the law. The unilateral economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America is a clear violation of the Charter and international law. The extraterritorial application of third States’ laws is contrary to the letter and spirit of the provisions of the Charter and undermines the principles of multilateralism, to which we are all committed. Furthermore, we reject the designation by the United States of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism, a measure that serves only to exacerbate further and compound the inhumane consequences of the embargo. The Secretary-General’s report (A/78/84) documents, in harrowing detail, the impact and cost of the embargo on Cuba. In one year, the embargo caused estimated losses of over $4.8 billion to the Cuban economy. The embargo has had the deliberate effect of hindering Cuba’s recovery from the coronavirus disease pandemic, frustrating its sustainable development and isolating it from the international trade and financial system. Even more unconscionable were the attempts to deny Cuba access to medical supplies during the pandemic itself. Notwithstanding the toll that the embargo has caused Cuba, the Cuban spirit of resilience, ingenuity, generosity and brotherhood has characterized its engagement with Belize and developing countries globally. Cuba continues to be a force for goodwill and development in our region. Cuban doctors are an integral part of Belize’s health-care system. Many Belizean students receive scholarships for professional training in Cuba in areas as diverse as medicine, physical education, computer science, mathematics and veterinary medicine. Moreover, Cuba continues to provide technical assistance in critical areas, including climate change response and agriculture. Belize stands in solidarity with Cuba and will vote in support of resolution draft resolution A/78/L.5. We reiterate our call for the United States to immediately and unconditionally lift the embargo it has illegally imposed on Cuba.

I would like to begin by warmly welcoming His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, to this important meeting. Iran aligns itself with the statements made on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, the Group of 77 and China and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (see A/78/PV.24). We would also like to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his report (A/78/84), which presents the views of Member States condemning the unilateral and extraterritorial economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America on Cuba. It has been more than 60 years since the United States unilaterally imposed an illegal and immoral embargo on Cuba. Its effects continue to limit Cubans’ prospects for economic growth, curb foreign investment, hinder trade relations with third countries and create the maximum possible barriers to banking and other financial operations. For all those decades, the blockade paradigm has benefited no one. The Government and the people of Cuba — through their decisive vote in favour of the resolution calling for the removal of the United States embargo against the Republic of Iran — despite repeated calls by the General Assembly to all States to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures contrary to the purposes and principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations; and despite the call to respect the sovereignty of States, not to intervene or interfere and to permit the freedom of international trade and navigation — Cuba is still subject to an illegitimate and immoral embargo that violates that country’s inalienable right to development. The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically opposes the application of any unilateral restrictive measures against sovereign States Members of the United Nations and would like to reiterate its position that the imposition of such measures runs contrary to the goals and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Furthermore, the extraterritorial extension of those restrictive measures is in direct violation of the legitimate right of other States to fully cooperate with Havana. Iran has been the target of the unlawful and inhumane sanctions of the United States since 1979. In the past four decades, the rate of unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Iranian people has exponentially increased, to the point that the United States has even targeted the import of medication and medical equipment. In addition to reimposing those unilateral and illegal sanctions against Iran, in gross violation of its obligation under the Charter of the United Nations and Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), the United States brazenly continues to threaten other States to either violate that resolution or face punishment. The response to unilateralism lies in heightened solidarity and taking greater collective action. Iran will continue working with its partners to create a new environment in which a self-respecting nation can pursue its own interests and fulfil its international obligations. We will continue to work to offset unlawful United States sanctions and irreversibly eliminate the destabilizing phenomenon of the extraterritorial application of its domestic legislation. The world must find solutions to counter such destructive intervention and unilateralism. Since 1992, when Cuba first introduced this draft resolution in the General Assembly, the support of people all around the world for the legitimate claims of the Cuban people has been growing continuously. In that regard, my country once again expresses its unwavering solidarity with the people and the Government of Cuba and joins the global call on the United States to immediately and fully comply with its international obligations and to alleviate the application and enforcement of unilateral coercive measures.

The Congo endorses the statements made by the representatives of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and Zambia, on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/78/PV.24), and would like to make a few comments in its national capacity. Let me begin by recalling the words spoken from this very rostrum by Ambassador Hidalgo Basulto, former Permanent Representative of Cuba, on 24 November 1992, shortly before the adoption of the first resolution on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba: “The blockade is the most serious of the diverse forms of aggression that the Government of the United States has been waging against Cuba. by the United States Government. It is an unethical, immoral act systematically designed to subject a whole country to hardship and hunger, in flagrant violation of the human, political and social rights of its people.” (A/47/PV.70, p. 5) Nearly 31 years later, those words remain relevant, as agenda item 38 of the General Assembly at its seventy- eighth session is devoted to the blockade. It is imperative that the never-ending blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States since the middle of the previous century be lifted, as recognized by the Secretary-General in his report (A/78/84), which my delegation welcomes. In fact, the report states that the continuation of the United States financial and commercial blockade against Cuba for more than 60 years and the inclusion of Cuba in the list of State sponsors of terrorism are incompatible with an international system grounded in law and are a blatant manifestation of the exercise of political and economic power in clear violation of human rights, including the right to development. The negative effects of those measures are as obvious as they are inadmissible under the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law. It should also be noted that those effects are compounded by the effects of managing the crisis in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease pandemic, and by the current context of exacerbated economic, financial and climatic crises, which are exerting additional pressure on the well-being of the Cuban people. The Congo reiterates its desire to promote strict respect for the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, once again calls for the unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against Cuba by the United States of America.

Let me first express my delegation’s warm welcome and best wishes to His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba. Jamaica aligns itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of Saint Lucia, on behalf of the Caribbean Community, and Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba (see A/78/PV.24). My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his regular reports on this important issue and for maintaining a forum for Member States to articulate their perspectives on this unilateral policy, which Jamaica continues to believe is in violation of international law and contrary to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Jamaica values the significance of participating in the discussions under this important agenda item and continues to join the international community in expressing its unwavering solidarity with the Government and the people of the Republic of Cuba in the call for the removal of the irrelevant and decades-old blockade on Cuba. The embargo has not only inflicted unnecessary wounds on the Cuban economy, but it also stifles the development aspirations and growth potential of the Cuban people. Jamaica considers the prolonged blockade against Cuba to be contrary to the norms and ethos governing friendly relations among States, international trade and navigation. It continues to be the main obstacle to the prosperity and the realization of the genuine aspirations of the Cuban people. The blockade has hindered progress on Cuba’s national plan for economic and social development and has impeded its implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. The embargo has frustrated efforts by the Government of Cuba to contribute to the global fight against climate change, transnational crime and poverty. It has also hampered initiatives aimed at women’s empowerment, social protection for the most vulnerable and the transformation of the economy and society in a constantly changing global environment. The embargo against Cuba has stymied economic, commercial and financial activities, thereby hindering regular access to bilateral trade, the importation of goods and access to financial mechanisms through formal and institutional channels. The embargo has deterred Cuba’s effective response to exogenous shocks, including the impact of health emergencies such as the coronavirus disease pandemic, natural disasters and global food, energy and health crises. Such crises have had significant negative and lasting effects on women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and vulnerable groups in Cuba. The unmerited inclusion of Cuba on the United States’ list of State sponsors of terrorism further restricts entities from conducting legitimate business with Cuba and deepens the challenges for third States’ engagement with Cuba on trade, investment, developmental aid and international cooperation on transnational organized crime and the provision of technical assistance. Therefore, we continue to express our concerns about the impact of continuing the blockade and the grave systemic implications of the extraterritorial application of the United States of America’s laws regulating transactions, directly or indirectly. For far too long, the people of Cuba have suffered in an unjustified and undignified manner as a result of the embargo. The undue hardship imposed has impacted and affected every facet of the life and livelihood of the Cuban people. The international community has been seized of this matter since the first introduction of this resolution (see A/46/PV.60) at the forty-sixth session of the General Assembly in 1991. Every year since 1992, the international community has consistently, profoundly and resoundingly expressed support, as is evidenced in the favourable voting outcomes, for the need to end the blockade against Cuba. As a peaceful member and development advocate within the international community, Jamaica welcomed the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States in 2015, which has served to ease restrictions in a number of areas. Notwithstanding that positive step in the right direction, we have seen reversals in the more recent past. In any event, even those measures were not far-reaching enough and cannot be a substitute for the lifting of the embargo to allow the Cuban people access to critical financial resources, health products and services, inputs for industrial activities and, importantly, their right to development. I conclude by reiterating Jamaica’s calls for advancing dialogue between Cuba and the United States. Jamaica reaffirms its commitment to standing in solidarity with the Government and the people of Cuba, in concerted efforts with the majority of the Members of the United Nations, calling for the removal of the embargo and for the full inclusion of the Republic of Cuba in the international community. The benefits and cycle of international development cooperation are upended as long as a member of the international community is unreasonably deprived of opportunities to contribute to our collective vision of a safe, just, sustainable, prosperous and progressive world. Jamaica will therefore vote in favour of draft resolution A/78/L.5.

My delegation aligns itself with the statements made by the delegations of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; Zambia, on behalf of the Group of African States; Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries; and Mauritania, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (see A/78/PV.24). I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba (A/78/84). I reiterate Egypt’s firm position in support of the Government and the people of Cuba, where the unilateral measures of the embargo against Cuba have a direct and negative impact on vital sectors of the economy. Those measures have profound repercussions on the social and economic life of the Cuban people in terms of difficulty in accessing food, medicine, education and advanced technology. In that context, Egypt reaffirms the importance of respecting the principles of the Charter of the United Nations as well as international law. Egypt calls for the need to respect the multiple General Assembly resolutions in that regard. We reiterate that the continuation of the embargo against Cuba is not going to undermine the international community’s efforts, which will keep calling for those measures that are contrary to international law to be lifted. In conclusion, Egypt calls for the full and immediate lifting of the embargo imposed against Cuba and for enabling the Cuban people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Philippines aligns itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of Singapore, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries; and Uganda, on behalf of Group of 77 and China (see A/78/PV.24). For the thirty-first year, we are witnessing today clear expressions of solidarity with the Cuban people through the overwhelming support for the annual draft resolution (A/78/L.5) on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. The report of the Secretary-General (A/78/84) clearly shows that the international community once again strongly supports ending the six-decade embargo, an unjust and unjustified sanctions policy. It is also the thirty-first consecutive year that the Philippines will support the annual draft resolution. The blockade presents a main obstacle to Cuba’s socioeconomic development, as observed by various United Nations agencies in the Secretary-General’s report. It also poses a serious challenge to Cuba’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It violates international law. It is contrary to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. With cultural and economic ties dating as far back as the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade in the early sixteenth century, Cuba and its people will always have the support of the Philippines. The United States should lift the embargo against Cuba unconditionally, once and for all.

At the outset, let me acknowledge the presence of His Excellency Mr. Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba. My delegation aligns itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and the Group of 77 and China, (see A/78/PV.24). Pakistan has an abiding faith in multilateralism. We believe in the fundamental principles of sovereign equality, non-interference and non-intervention, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. We consider that the imposition of unilateral economic measures is counterproductive and inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter and international law. Both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly have recognized that people should not be deprived of their own means of subsistence, especially food and medicine. They also recognize that the extraterritorial application of law, including unilateral coercive measures that affect international humanitarian law and international human rights law, is inadmissible. Such measures are also in contravention of our pledge in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. The economic, financial and commercial embargo severely impacts the lives of all Cuban citizens. In that regard, we also take note of the report of the Secretary-General (A/78/84), which raises similar concerns. Ending the embargo would be a significant step towards ameliorating the quality of life of the Cuban people.

I thank you, Sir, for the leadership that you have shown in guiding our work and assure you of my country’s support. My country aligns itself with the statements made by the representatives of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; and Zambia, on behalf of the Group of African States; as well as the statements on behalf of other groups to which it belongs (see A/78/PV.24). Gabon remains concerned about the continued commercial, economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States of America, the scope of the consequences of which have been increasingly detrimental to the population of Cuba. The economic blockade, which has lasted for more than 61 years, clearly constitutes an act adverse to fostering regional and continental unity and threatens the peaceful coexistence among States. The measures run contrary to international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States. The embargo against Cuba is preventing the island’s economic, cultural and social development, with negative consequences for several sensitive sectors, such as public health services, which have an impact on the welfare of the Cuban people and inflict untold suffering upon them. The embargo is the main obstacle to Cuba’s socioeconomic development and the implementation of its national development plan, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Gabon reiterates its call for the full implementation of the United Nations resolutions calling for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States of America. Likewise, Gabon encourages the international community to pursue its efforts to normalize relations between the two countries. We are convinced that only the principles of dialogue, cooperation and solidarity will help establish a climate of trust and calm, while fostering significant progress on the issue. We reiterate our call for the unconditional lifting of the economic, financial and trade embargo imposed on Cuba and will support the draft resolution before us (A/78/L.5).

Let me thank the President for convening this meeting, which concerns the entire international community. We welcome the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Mr. Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, and his entire delegation at this meeting. Bolivia aligns itself with the statements made by representatives of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Eritrea, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations (see A/78/PV.24). We would like to articulate the following points in our national capacity. My first words are words of thanks to the brotherly Republic of Cuba for its unwavering commitment to humankind’s noblest causes. Cuba’s army of health, education and selfless humanitarian aid workers have been deployed throughout the world. The peoples of the world can attest to the fact that 60 years have not been successful in punishing a people who stand in solidarity with others. Moreover, we have seen an intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States. Just imagine how many lives would have been saved if Cuba had had the freedom and the ability to share with the rest of the world the vaccines that were successfully developed in Cuban laboratories. Multiple reports from specialized agencies, including the report of the Secretary-General (A/78/84), show that the blockade has been Cuba’s greatest challenge in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, the international consensus on ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed illegitimately and illegally against Cuba has been reaffirmed. However, despite the international consensus and the vast majority support of the General Assembly, the aggressor country prefers to ignore and fail to comply with the decisions and resolutions adopted year after year. That is one more example of the double standards of certain States; while some countries comply with and respect international law and multilateralism, others treat the General Assembly shamefully. It is inconceivable and contradictory that the most supportive country in the world is unilaterally included, outside international law, on the United States’ list of countries that sponsor terrorism. That is a flagrant act of aggression against the Cuban people, the sole objective of which is to cause more suffering through unjust and inhumane sanctions. Since there is no valid argument for that, the Plurinational State of Bolivia demands the immediate removal of Cuba from that list, thereby rectifying a historical error and the irreparable damage done to the Cuban people. Bolivia is a country that seeks brotherhood and cooperation between people and their Governments in order to contribute to mutual understanding, equitable comprehensive development and the promotion of interculturality, with full respect for the sovereignty of peoples and the independence of the States. It is precisely for that reason that we emphatically condemn and reject the application of any policy of interference or interventionism, and any unilateral coercive measure that violates the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of any State. Along those lines, my country plans to deepen cooperation with Cuba and other countries in the world in order to strengthen sustainable development in all its dimensions. As part of that policy, the strategic aviation public company Boliviana de Aviación inaugurated direct commercial flights between Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and Havana, Cuba, to promote trade, integration and cultural exchange between our peoples. Finally, for the reasons I mentioned, Bolivia supports the draft resolution (A/78/L.5) that will be adopted today, which will be added to the more than 30 resolutions that have not yet managed to put an end to the ongoing act of aggression that the brave Cuban people have endured. We reaffirm our commitment to continue working so that sooner rather than later this aggression against Cuba ends, since nothing weakens multilateralism more than the fact that a State violates the human rights of an entire people with impunity, bolstered by its economic and military power. The people will never be defeated when the causes of their struggles are justice and the defence of life and dignity.

My delegation aligns itself with the statements made by the representative of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; the representative of Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries; the representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; the representative of El Salvador, on behalf of the Central American Integration System; and the representative of Eritrea, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations (see A/78/PV.24). We acknowledge and welcome the presence of our brother the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. The imperial Powers continue to maintain and intensify their unilateral, illegal, coercive and arbitrary policy against sovereign peoples and Governments, putting their hegemonic interests above the priorities of the human community, promoting wars, blockades, sanctions and smear campaigns, contrary to international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the most basic principles that should guide relations of mutual respect, solidarity, dialogue and among between States. We, the peoples of the world, have the right to exercise our national sovereignty and independence and to make progress in the construction and development of our own model of political, economic, social and cultural development, free of foreign interference or intervention, threats or aggression. Faced with those perverse practices, our developing peoples are moving towards multipolarity, confronting imperialism and destructive neocolonialism, which has always tried to subjugate the planet and humankind. That is how humankind is creating the conditions necessary to break with imperial hegemony. In that same spirit and with its own voice, identity, dignity and shared values, the international community must move towards greater integration, while rejecting and denouncing the vestiges of colonialism. We are talking about the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed for more than 60 years on the sisterly Republic of Cuba and its unjustified inclusion on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, from which it must be removed. United States hegemonism has imposed an illegal blockade on the heroic people of Cuba. This sisterly and heroic revolution has resisted for more than six decades and continues to resist this corrosive blockade, which attacks its State institutions, limits its access to financing for development, undermines its economy and affects the ability of an entire population to fully enjoy its fundamental rights. Nicaragua, like all developing countries and the international community as a whole, rejects those illegal unilateral coercive measures and the suffocating, perverse and harmful blockade. Nicaragua condemns all the hostile policies of the United States towards Cuba  — the persecution of the country’s financial and commercial transactions, the inability to process non-immigrant visas in Havana, the intimidation of companies that send fuel supplies to the island, the attempts to frustrate the recovery of the tourism sector after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the campaign to discredit Cuban medical cooperation programmes, just to mention a few. Cuba has demonstrated that, from 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2023, the blockade caused an estimated $4.867 billion in damages to the country. That represents an impact of more than $405 million dollars per month, more than $13 million dollars per day and more than $555,000 dollars for each hour of blockade. The damages accumulated during the more than six decades that this anachronistic policy has been imposed amount to $159.084 billion. Even so, under the worst circumstances and the most criminal pressures, Cuba was able to overcome the severe COVID-19 pandemic with its own efforts and talent. It is admirable that Cuba, thanks to its conscience, revolutionary spirit of struggle, socialist conviction and commitment to the world and its unmatched example of international solidarity, helped 42 countries and territories to face the pandemic since the declaration thereof in May 2020 until September 2022. Fifty-eight specialized Cuban Henry Reeve medical brigades arrived in those nations, the members of which joined the more than 28,000 Cuban health professionals who were already working in 66 nations, as part of the medical cooperation brigades sent by this brotherly and beloved country. Cuba manages to resist and, amid resistance, it is establishing initiatives to ensure it can continue to win the battle with its own strength and the solidarity of brotherly peoples. Cuba’s battle is our battle, and Cuba’s victory is our victory. We congratulate our Cuban sisters and brothers on their excellent chairing of the Group of 77 and China. The Group numbers 134 member countries from the global South, which is equivalent to more than two thirds of the Member States of the United Nations and 80 per cent of the world’s population. The successful convening in Havana of the recent summit of the Group of 77 and China specifically shows that the imperialists — the colonialists of the Earth — have not been able to kill the spirit of struggle, which is the dignity of the peoples of the world. The universal consensus of the peoples and the Governments of the world has demanded an end to that inhumane, illegal and criminal blockade, which demonstrates a cruel and genocidal nature aimed at violating the human rights of an entire people and undermining the efforts of the courageous Cuban people to implement the country’s national economic and social development plan to 2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. The Government of the United States, by failing to comply with the 30 resolutions of the General Assembly, flaunts its disrespect for international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the political will of the universal consensus of the international community, which demands an end to that anachronistic policy against Cuba. The clear objective of that empire has been to bring down Cuba and to destroy the socialist model — which is infinitely just and in solidarity with the country’s people and the peoples of the world. The United States must engage in a respectful dialogue to resolve the pending bilateral issues with Cuba, on the basis of the equality of States, reciprocity and respect for Cuba’s sovereignty and independence. We are fully convinced that international solidarity with Cuba will continue to hold strong, and that the General Assembly today will once again condemn this criminal blockade and all the increasing, continued extraterritorial measures and consequences against the beloved Cuban people. Nicaragua hopes that, once and for all, the double standards in the Assembly will end and that the numerous United Nations resolutions on this issue will be respected and complied with. The inhumane blockade against Cuba must end. Nicaragua, as it does every year, will vote in favour of the draft resolution before us (A/78/L.5), and today the General Assembly, by universally adopting that draft resolution presented by Cuba, will be defending multilateralism and the United Nations Charter, seeking the longed-for understanding and peaceful coexistence between nations, and promoting the culture of peace that we all speak of and desire.

I now call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba to introduce draft resolution A/78/L.5.

The blockade violates the right to life, health, education and well-being for all Cubans. Our families feel the effects of the blockade through shortages in the shops, long lines, excessively high prices and undervalued wages. The Cuban Government makes great efforts to guarantee the standard family food basket which, although insufficient to fulfil all the needs, provides the basic staples required for every household, without exception, at heavily subsidized prices. To meet that objective this year, the Government will need to invest more than $1.6 billion. That expense could have been comfortably covered using just one third of the total losses resulting from the blockade between March 2022 and February 2023. The blockade deprives the national industry of the funds needed to acquire agricultural machinery, animal fodder, parts and spare parts for equipment and industry, as well as other necessary food-production supplies, the provision of which it is seriously affecting. Under strict licenses, Cuba is able to access the market to purchase agricultural products in the United States, but that is subject to draconian and discriminatory restrictions that violate the universally accepted rules of international trade and the freedom of travel and navigation. Cuba is forced to pay in advance to purchase those products and must ship them on board of vessels belonging to the United States and return them empty to their ports of origin. While trade is a two-way operation everywhere around the world, Cuba is prevented from exporting to the United States, and Cuba has no access to credit, whether private or through multilateral financial institutions. Cuban families suffer blackouts, which at times have been crippling. The losses in the energy and mining sectors surpassed $491 million during the same period. The national power-generation sector accounts for the largest total of those losses, amounting to more than $239 million. With that money, Cuba would have been able to guarantee the supply of power, the scheduled maintenance of power stations and the purchase of essential spare parts in order to prevent crippling blackouts and ensure the proper functioning of its power industry. The sick, including children, the elderly and pregnant women, are suffering as a result of the ongoing instability of the supply of medicines used in hospitals, including therapies to treat cancer and heart disease. People face obstacles every day in acquiring insulin, antibiotics, painkillers, hypotensive drugs and other essential medications. Our country is capable of producing more than 60 per cent of its basic medication requirements, but it has not been able to attain that figure during this period of the increasingly tightened blockade and the insidious blow dealt to its finances. Cuba is prevented from buying equipment, technologies, medical devices and end-use pharmaceuticals from United States companies or their subsidiaries in third countries. Our country is therefore forced to acquire them at exorbitant prices, by means of intermediaries, or to replace them with less effective generic drugs, even for sick newborns and children. With the appropriate family consent, I will share with the General Assembly, with deep sorrow, the situation faced by María, a Cuban girl who is barely 6 years old, who had to undergo surgery for the partial removal of an intracranial grade 4 tumour. She has received an alternative chemotherapy treatment to fight the tumour, but it has not been possible to administer lomustine — an American drug that is not accessible due to the blockade and which, along with other first- line drugs for that type of high-grade tumour affecting the central nervous system, is the most effective treatment. The little patient is today in relapse and is undergoing a course of rescue chemotherapy. For her, as for other Cuban children, the blockade continues to constitute the difference between life and death. Yadier and Abel are 14-year-olds suffering from cerebral palsy. That condition causes spasticity as a limitation of motor function and involuntary movements that they cannot control, making their everyday life processes difficult. The dedication of their teachers and other professionals who have accompanied them over the years has allowed them to achieve the greatest possible motor, intellectual and communication functionality and maximum social integration. However, their lives could be completely different were they not prevented from directly accessing botulinum toxin type A on the United States market. That injectable drug prevents spasms and demonstrates encouraging results in such patients. Like many other similar cases, they are direct victims of the ruthless siege of Cuba. The United States Government is lying when it states that the blockade does not prevent access to medicines or medical equipment. During the toughest moments of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, when the number of cases had reached its peak and our intensive care units were overwhelmed in their capacities, Cuba was prevented from importing ventilators under the pretext that the European supplier companies were subsidiaries of American companies. Not only was that an undoubtedly cruel and inhumane act, but it was also a gross violation of trade rules and international law. Cuba therefore had to develop its national production of ventilators, using its own prototypes. The extreme cruelty of the blockade was brutally demonstrated when our main medical oxygen production plant broke down during the peak of COVID-19 cases in our country. The attempt by two American companies to supply medical oxygen to Cuba demonstrated the requirement for a specific licence from the United States Government, even in the time of a pandemic. Cuba also has evidence of manoeuvres by United States Government agencies to prevent the sale of medical oxygen to our country by foreign companies from two Latin American countries. The blockade generated difficulties and delays in the importation and arrival in our country of other supplies and medical equipment essential to combat the virus, in particular for the industrialization of Cuban vaccines. During the pandemic, the United States Government applied temporary humanitarian waivers to countries victim of its unilateral coercive measures and other sanctions. I would ask why Cuba was excluded from that temporary humanitarian relief. The reality is that the United States Government opportunistically used COVID-19 as an ally in its hostile policy against Cuba. The blockade qualifies as a crime of genocide according to the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as clearly defined in its article 2, paragraphs (b) and (c). The evil decision to strengthen the blockade in an unprecedented way in that epidemic situation and take advantage of the global economic crisis resulting from the pandemic to promote the destabilization of the country clearly reveals the deeply cruel and inhumane nature of that policy. The feat of saving and preserving the lives of our compatriots in such difficult circumstances can be explained only by the collective efforts of the Government and all our people over the decades to build a robust, high-quality science and health system of a profoundly humanistic nature, accessible to all Cubans at no cost. Despite the fact that human well- being has been, and will continue to be, the priority of the Cuban Government, the impact of the blockade on the quality of life and services provided to our population is undeniable and painful. For more than six decades, Cuba has resisted a ruthless economic, commercial and financial blockade. More than 80 per cent of our current population has known Cuba only under siege. The United States Government has not ceased in its attempts to deprive our country of indispensable financial income; to lower the standard of living of the population; to impose a continuous shortage of food, medicines and other basic supplies; and to provoke economic collapse. It has attacked, with viciousness and surgical precision, the most sensitive sectors of the economy and deliberately sought to inflict the greatest possible damage on Cuban families. The blockade is an act of economic warfare in peacetime, aimed at nullifying the Government’s ability to meet the needs of the population, creating a situation of ungovernability and destroying the constitutional order. Those objectives were clearly described in the infamous memorandum of 6 April 1960 by Lester Mallory, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, which was declassified many years later: “every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba … [by] denying money and supplies to Cuba; to decrease monetary and real wages; [and] to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of Government.” That is the nature and those are, from its origin until today, the purposes of the policy of economic cohesion and maximum pressure applied by the current United States Government against Cuba. The conduct of the United States is absolutely unilateral and unjustified. Not one measure or action has been taken by our country to damage the United States or harm its powerful economic sector or trade activities. Not one measure has been taken by Cuba to jeopardize the independence or national security of the United States or harm its sovereign rights, interfere in its internal affairs or damage the well-being of its citizens. It is neither ethical nor legal for the Government of a Power to subject a small nation, for decades, to constant economic warfare in the interest of imposing a foreign political system and again appropriating its resources. Depriving an entire people of their right to peace, self-determination, development and human progress is unacceptable. The Cuban people are not the only people suffering the terrible consequences of an illegal, cruel and inhumane policy. There are many others in the world who are also victims of those injustices and the philosophy of dispossession, which leads to the philosophy of war, as was denounced by our Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz from this rostrum in 1960 (see A/PV.872). At this tragic time, I reiterate Cuba’s full support to, and solidarity with, the brotherly people of Palestine, who are now being massacred in their own illegally occupied land. That act of barbarism must be stopped. The authorities of the United States have attempted to entrench the idea of the ineffectiveness of the Cuban Government and the failure of our system. They have cynically claimed that they support the Cuban people and attempt to make others believe that unilateral coercive measures do not affect families or are a significant factor in the difficulties faced by Cuba’s national economy. It is obvious that the blockade is not responsible for all the problems facing our country today, as has been stated by President Miguel Díaz-Canel. But those who ignore its very serious effects or fail to recognize it as the main cause of the deprivation, scarcity and hardships of Cuban families, would be failing to tell the truth. Those who deny that the blockade is a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of our people, as well as the biggest obstacle to our development, would be lying. Let us look at the facts and review some data. Between 1 March 2022 and 28 February this year, the damages caused by the blockade, according to conservative calculations, have been estimated at $4.867 billion. That sum accounts for damages that are worth more than $405 million per month, or more than $13 million per day. Had the blockade not existed, Cuba’s gross domestic product could have increased by 9 per cent in 2022. At current prices, the accumulated effects of the blockade, after more than 60 years, surpass the figure of $159 billion. If calculations are based on the value of gold, then the figure would amount to $1.337 trillion. These would be extraordinary figures for any economy in the world, even more so for a small island developing nation like ours. What would Cuba have been like today had it been able to use those resources? Since the second half of 2019, the United States Government has tightened its grip on our country in an extreme, more perverse and harmful manner and adopted wartime measures to try to prevent fuel supplies from arriving in Cuba. It has strengthened its attacks on Cuba’s international medical cooperation. It has increased its persecution of Cuba’s commercial and financial transactions in third markets and sought to threaten investors and commercial entities from third countries with the extraterritorial implementation, before United States courts, of Title III of the Helms- Burton Act. There is also a list of restricted entities and subentities associated with Cuba that affects the majority of our businesses and, curiously enough, a Cuba prohibited accommodations list, the only such list in the world, among many other prohibitions and restrictions. In a globalized international economy, it is both absurd and criminal to continue to prohibit the export to Cuba of articles manufactured in any country containing at least 10 per cent of United States components and prevent the import into the United States of products manufactured in third countries if they contain Cuban raw materials, intangibles or components. What would have happened to other economies, even those of rich countries, had they been subjected to similar conditions? The United States is strengthening its mechanisms to harass Cuba in the banking and financial sectors. It maintains its ban on the use of American dollars as well as a constant and obsessive persecution of financial and commercial transactions in other currencies, in areas such as trade and investments, associated with our country. That persecution has been further strengthened after the arbitrary inclusion of our country in the State Department’s unilateral list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. That was a lethal measure imposed by the former Republican Administration only nine days before leaving the White House. The current Democrat President could have amended, or could even amend it tomorrow, with only a signature. The Government of the United States lies and severely hampers international efforts to combat terrorism while accusing Cuba, without any grounds, of being a country that sponsors that scourge. There is not one valid or reasonable argument to keep Cuba on that spurious list. It is an inadmissible action, in particular against a nation that has been a victim of terrorism and is still suffering today the uncensured incitement to the perpetration of violent and terrorist actions from the territory of the United States, and whose behaviour of firmly rejecting and persecuting all forms or manifestations of terrorism is impeccable and worthy of recognition. The effects are particularly harmful in the context of a global economy that is increasingly interconnected, interdependent and subject to the dictates of powerful financial centres controlled from Washington, D.C. Based on that arbitrary accusation, the authorities of the United States extort hundreds of banking and financial entities all over the world and force them to choose between continuing to maintain relations with the United States or maintaining links with Cuba. Between January 2021 and February 2023, a total of 909 actions were reported by foreign banks that refused to provide their services to our country. Dozens of Cuban diplomatic missions abroad have lost contact with their traditional banks and currently have no bank accounts or financial services. That has occurred even in countries that develop friendly and cooperative relations with our country and that have consistently rejected the economic blockade but have become victims of the extraterritorial power of United States hostility, its harmful and disproportionate influence on the international financial system and its determination to cut off the Cuban economy. With that false qualification, the country’s so-called country risk is increased exponentially, forcing Cuba to pay up to twice as much for any commodity on the world market. Cuban entrepreneurs, whom the United States cynically claims to support, are often denied access to e-payment and e-commerce platforms, such as PayPal and Airbnb. They are not even allowed to open personal bank accounts just for being Cuban. In third countries, they run up against banking restrictions and suffer discrimination as a result of the effects of the blockade. Not even academic and scientific achievement has escaped the effects of this absurd policy. Evelio is a 25-year-old Cuban youth who is currently studying computer science engineering. With the support of his university, he arranged to share with students from other countries the results of a scientific research project and decided to attend in person the World Congress on Undergraduate Research, an international scientific event that was held from 4 to 6 April, at the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom. He was admitted as a participant owing to the quality of his research. However, shortly afterwards, the organizers of the event informed him that, given Cuba’s inclusion in a list of countries under sanction, the funding for his in-person attendance would be withdrawn. Evelio hopes to see an end to the blockade because, as is the case of thousands of Cuban young persons, that policy excludes and discriminates against him, preventing him from interacting on an equal footing in academic, scientific and student communities. Cuban athletes and artists who suffer from discrimination and sometimes abuse should receive the well-deserved income that accompanies their medals and prizes. The blockade restricts the rights of Cubans residing in the United States. It hampers family reunification by means of visas and regular mechanisms, does not allow the granting of visas for travel in Cuba and hinders the sending of remittances. It also creates uncertainty when people are seeking personal development in other countries, including the families of young people who are highly qualified. However, the increase in Cuban emigration, with a painful cost for families and adverse demographic and economic consequences for our nation, is directly linked to the tightening of the blockade and the privileged treatment given for political reasons to Cuban migrants arriving at the United States borders, regardless of how they reach that border. It is impossible to understand the nature of the migratory flows of Cubans through countries in the region to the United States without considering the importance of those factors, which are used for the purpose of destabilizing, stealing the talent of and discrediting Cuba. The unfavourable impact of the phenomenon on some countries in the region is also evident when Cuban migrants become irregular migrants and use unsafe and dangerous routes or become victims of organized crime. Cuba will always advocate regular, safe and orderly migration. It is up to the United States Government to modify the structural causes of most Cuban migration, whether it be regular or irregular. However, the blockade paradoxically restricts the United States citizens’ freedom to travel to Cuba and interferes with their right to freedom of information and freedom to form their own opinions. It also discriminates against, intimidates and deprives citizens of other countries that enjoy the benefits of the automated visa system, known by its acronym as ESTA, from enjoying that privilege just for having visited Cuba. The tightening of the economic siege has been accompanied by a sustained media and information campaign against Cuba. New information technologies and other digital platforms are being used to try to capitalize on the shortages caused by the blockade and portray an absolutely false image of the reality in Cuba and destabilize and discredit the country. The media crusade, in particular from toxic platforms funded and based on the territory of the United States, is aimed at encouraging discontent, creating the perception of a domestic political crisis, discrediting Government institutions and undermining the huge efforts made by the country to overcome the challenges of an economy under blockade. That is unconventional, cognitive warfare to which the United States Government publicly and notoriously allocates millions of dollars in funds from the federal budget and, covertly, a considerable amount. It is a perverse plan that is incompatible with democracy, freedom and the right to information which it supposedly advocates. The current United States Government ensures the continuity of the inhumane policy established under the Administration headed by President Donald Trump and paradoxically has adopted it. In fact, the laws and regulations that support the policy and make it effective, including the most hostile and inhumane measures, have remained intact and are being fully implemented. The blockade has been tightened to extreme levels and continues to be the central element defining the United States policy towards Cuba. The extraterritorial impact of the blockade harms the sovereignty of all countries represented by the members of the General Assembly. It infringes upon their national legislations, submits them to the rulings of United States courts, affects the interests of their companies, imposes sanctions on their entrepreneurs and restricts the freedom of their citizens, all in violation of international law. More than three decades have elapsed since the Assembly started to call, on an annual basis, for an end to the embargo against Cuba. Nevertheless, the express will of the international community is not being respected or heeded by the Government of the biggest economic, financial and military Power. Ignoring with impunity the successive resolutions adopted by this forum, the most democratic and representative of the United Nations, is unacceptable. On behalf of the Cuban people, I appreciate the statements against the blockade made by Heads of State and Government, as well as high dignitaries, from 44 countries during the general debate, 21 of which explicitly condemned Cuba’s arbitrary inclusion in the unilateral and fraudulent list of States sponsors of terrorism. Our appreciation and gratitude go to the many delegations that confirmed that same stance today and during yesterday’s meeting (see A/78/PV.24). I also deeply appreciate the expressions of support and the fraternal assistance made by our compatriots from the broad and universal movement of solidarity with Cuba, as well as by our many friends from various locations. We are encouraged to be able to count on the increasing support of persons of goodwill all over the world who are calling for an end to the blockade. Despite the hostility of the United States Government, we will continue to build bridges with the people of the United States, as we do with all peoples of the world. We will continue strengthening our links with Cuban émigrés residing abroad. We will soon host the fourth Nation and Emigration Conference, which will contribute to enhancing the dialogue between the Cuban Government and our compatriots. The colossal challenges that we face do not frighten us. The Cuban people will never cease in their efforts to honour, exalt and defend their free and sovereign homeland. We shall push ahead with our transformative and revolutionary efforts to circumvent the siege imposed on us by United States imperialism, as well as to promote prosperity, with social justice, support the transformation of our communities and bolster and expand social programmes. We will continue to guarantee the increasing participation of our youth and all of our citizens in the political, economic, social and cultural processes of the nation. No other people has been forced to engage in a development project under such conditions, while being subjected to such systematic and long-lasting aggression by a superpower. But Cuba will continue to create itself anew in the construction of a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation. In short, upon exercising their vote, Member States will not be making a decision on a matter of vital interest merely for Cuba and Cuban families. Their vote in favour of draft resolution A/78/L.5 will also be an expression in support of reason justice, the Charter of the United Nations and international law. On behalf of our noble, dignified and fraternal people, who long ago decided to become the masters of their history and their future; on behalf of the millions of Cuban men and women who resist and create, on a daily basis, against the most cruel and longest-lasting unilateral coercive measures system ever applied against any country, which should be abolished, once and for all, for the good of all; I respectfully ask everyone to vote in favour of the draft resolution entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. It is better without a blockade, without a genocidal blockade. Let Cuba live without a blockade.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/78/L.5, entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor- Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe Against: Israel, United States of America Abstaining: Ukraine

Before giving the floor to speakers in explanation of vote after the voting, may I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the presence of His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, and we wish to thank the Secretary-General for his report on this meeting’s agenda item (A/78/84). We have been enjoying strong bilateral relations with Cuba for more than 20 years. Since 2003, within the bilateral cooperation framework, Cuba has been playing a fundamental role in supporting our health sector through building the capacity of our national health system by facilitating our students to study in Cuba and sending doctors and specialists to work in our country’s health centres. In addition to the health sector, we have also had in place cooperation projects in the areas of youth, sports, art and culture, which allows us to send our students and sports athletes for training and to study in Cuba. The vote we cast today in support of resolution 78/7 represents our great concern over the adverse effects of this embargo on the well-being of the people of Cuba. We are of the view that the embargo prevents the people of Cuba from fully enjoying their human rights, including the right to development, as the embargo undermines Cuba’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As described in the report of the Secretary-General on the resolution, the embargo has affected the full potential of Cuba to be a more active actor in international trade and development and international cooperation. In addition, we have also come to the understanding that the embargo has directly and indirectly affected critical sectors of the Cuban economy, including public health, nutrition, agriculture, investment, tourism and banking. Therefore, Timor-Leste joins other delegations here in calling for the lifting of the embargo, which will help the people of Cuba to fully enjoy their human rights, including the right to development, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

Sri Lanka voted in favour of resolution 78/7, entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” In keeping with past practice, the General Assembly adopted by an overwhelming majority the call to lift the blockade against Cuba. It is not difficult to discern the rationale. A cursory perusal of the Secretary-General’s report (A/78/84) provides the answers. For 30 years the General Assembly has been calling for an end to the economic embargo that the United States has imposed on Cuba since 1962. If sanctions have only created hardships and collective suffering for a population, we ask the question: what justification can there be for continuing a policy of repression? It is said that universal coercive sanctions can have unintended consequences and negative humanitarian impacts. As clearly seen in the Cuban scenario, universal coercive sanctions harm the civilian population more than they do the intended targets, leading to increased poverty, unemployment and a lack of access to essential goods and services. It is also said that sanctions can undermine diplomatic efforts and hinder dialogue, making it more difficult find peaceful resolutions to a conflict. Unilateral sanctions and secondary sanctions aimed at universalizing the sanctions regime have been the most difficult aspects of any sanctions regime aimed at elevating such sanctions to a collective sanctions regime. Unilateral sanctions can never achieve the same status as collective sanctions without exaggerated claims to jurisdiction. It is a fact that countries perceive the implications of sanctions regimes differently. If one looks at the bigger picture carefully, unilateral sanctions have not had their desired effect. It is therefore time, we say, to re-examine the continuation of the sanctions against Cuba and withdraw them. We call on those concerned to end the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that are not authorized by relevant organs of the United Nations and that are inconsistent with the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. My delegation is of the considered view that the potential drawbacks of those sanctions outweigh their intended objectives. It must also be observed that the targeted entities find ways to circumvent the sanctions, or to find alternative allies, thereby rendering nugatory the very purpose of imposing such sanctions. We must all remind ourselves of the fact that the imposition of universal coercive sanctions has been of little use and relatively ineffective in maintaining a conducive global order, improving respect for human rights and preventing the escalation of conflicts globally. Against that backdrop, the continued sanctions against Cuba appear misplaced and irrational. It is therefore time to revisit the continuation of the sanctions against Cuba with a view to their final withdrawal.

At the outset, my delegation acknowledges the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and thanks the Secretary-General for the report highlighting the impacts of the embargo on Cuba (A/78/84). My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Uganda on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (see A/78/PV.24). Solomon Islands voted in favour of resolution 78/7 as a reaffirmation of our support for Cuba and for the cessation of the economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. The embargo on Cuba is not in the spirit of the United Nations and goes against the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. As Member States, we are duty-bound to uphold the commitment to the purposes, principles and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly regarding the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention, non-interference in the internal affairs of States and the freedom of international trade and navigation. The unilateral embargo on Cuba over six decades denies Cubans the right to trade, access to goods, critical and medical supplies and violates Cuba’s inalienable right to development. And neither does it reflect our unified aspirations to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in which we collectively pledged to leave no one behind. Solomon Islands does not support the imposition of unilateral actions or measures that perpetuate a negative impact on the well-being of the people of another State. We therefore join the United Nations community in calling for the immediate removal of the embargo, in order to restore faith in observing international law and respect for United Nations principles. With the General Assembly’s near-unanimous support for the resolution again today, we encourage the United States to reconsider its decision on the embargo in the spirit of goodwill and to engage in an enhanced dialogue and constructive consultation with Cuba. Solomon Islands acknowledges with sincere appreciation Cuba’s partnership and commitment to South-South cooperation and its contribution to the international community despite those imposed measures. As a close bilateral partner, Cuba has trained more than 100 of our medical doctors, who are now saving lives around the country. We remain resolute in our stand with Cuba as we have done in the past, and in our position on ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.

Indonesia reiterates its opposition to unilateral coercive measures with external effect on the sovereignty of other States and reiterates the legitimate interests of entities or persons under their jurisdiction and the freedom of trade and navigation. The prolonged imposition of the unilateral economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba clearly violates the principles of the sovereignty of States, non-interference and non-intervention set forth in the Charter of the United Nations. It also violates international law. In that regard, Indonesia rejects any measure aimed at further strengthening the unilateral embargo against Cuba. That includes the inclusion of Cuba in the Unites States’ list of States sponsors of terrorism, especially on the basis of inconsistent arguments without proper evidence. We are at a crucial time when unilateral acts are increasing and becoming more unacceptable. Allow me, therefore, to highlight some points. First, we are at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the risk that our progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is being stalled by the current global post-pandemic economic uncertainty, conflicts and climate crisis. Cuba has the right to fulfil its economic and social development, and it is intolerable for that to be further impeded while we are collectively fighting to bring the SDGs back on track and advocating for leaving no one behind. Secondly, unilateral acts undermine our efforts to restore trust in multilateralism. Nothing speaks louder than a consecutive resolution that consistently and overwhelmingly receives votes in favour from United Nations Members every year. Yet no significant efforts are being made to address the problem. Thirdly, humankind should always be put first, above any political agenda, let alone that of a single country. The Secretary-General’s report (A/78/84) fully highlights the decline in the quality of life of the people of Cuba, particularly vulnerable groups such as children, women and elderly people. Increasing infant mortality rates, a deteriorating health system, difficulty accessing basic food and medicines and children deprived of their right to education are unacceptable. Therefore, Indonesia calls for the immediate implementation of resolution 78/7 and continues to underline the importance of enhanced and consultative dialogue towards that aim.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member States. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia align themselves with this statement. I reiterate today our conviction that the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba has a damaging impact on the country’s economic situation and a negative effect on the living standards of the Cuban people. We should not forget that external trade and foreign investment can play a crucial role in setting the country on a path towards modernization, reform and sustainable growth, as well as helping it to overcome the economic hardship caused by external events, such as the consequences of the coronavirus disease pandemic, which continues to affect the island, or regular meteorological and climate-change-related hazards. The European Union therefore believes that lifting the embargo could make economic reforms more effective and facilitate the opening of the Cuban economy to the benefit of the Cuban people. We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Cuba, in particular following the events on 11 and 12 July 2021, in the light of the severe judgments issued so far by Cuban courts as regards civil and political rights. We therefore reiterate our call on the Government of Cuba to grant its citizens their internationally recognized civil, political and economic rights and freedoms in full, including the freedom of assembly, the freedom of expression and free access to information; to release all political prisoners; to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and to extend a standing invitation to all United Nations special procedures holders to visit Cuba. We strongly emphasize the importance of upholding the Charter of the United Nations and of respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all United Nations States Members, and we urge Cuba to stand in full solidarity with those fundamental principles and to work together to defend them. Moreover, we believe that empowering civil society is essential to the promotion and protection of all human rights and call upon the Government of Cuba to open spaces for constructive and inclusive dialogue, without preconditions, with the whole spectrum of civil-society actors on the island. A broad spectrum of civil society, both Cuban and European, should also be involved in the implementation of the European Union-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement. The European Union believes that positive change in Cuba is best brought about by closer engagement at all levels — Government, economy and civil society — but also through people-to-people exchanges. We therefore welcome the measures announced by the United States Administration last year to ease restrictions on family remittances and travel to the island and to fully resume consular services. However, the redesignation of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism by the previous United States Administration without presenting any new facts, and its being kept on the list without obvious justification, has introduced additional obstacles to international financial transactions with the island. Moreover, the embargo continues to restrict Cuba’s ability to import, for example, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other medical supplies. Beyond the damaging impact of the embargo on ordinary Cubans, United States sanctions and other administrative and judicial measures are also negatively affecting European Union economic interests. We have firmly and continuously opposed any such measures, owing to their extraterritorial application and impact on the European Union, in violation of commonly accepted rules of international trade. We cannot accept that such measures impede our economic and commercial relations with Cuba. The European Union strongly rejects the United States’ activation in April 2019 of Titles III and IV of the Helms-Burton Act. It breaches the commitments made by the United States in the United States-European Union agreements of 1997 and 1998. We will draw on all appropriate measures to address the effects of the Helms-Burton Act, including in relation to our World Trade Organization rights and through the use of the European Union blocking statute, which protects against the extraterritorial application of those United States sanctions to European Union citizens, businesses and non-governmental organizations operating in Cuba. For the European Union, international cooperation, dialogue and closer engagement, even if it is critical, are the way to follow with Cuba. The provisional application of the European Union-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement is now in its sixth year. The Agreement has put our bilateral relationship on a new and solid legal footing and sets out an agenda for critical engagement with Cuba that will also allow us to support and accompany Cuba on its path towards reform and modernization. We are also enhancing dialogue and cooperation on issues on which we still have fundamental differences. To that end, the Agreement has established a human rights dialogue as a key pillar of our relationship. The fourth formal meeting of that dialogue is scheduled to be held on 24 November. Following Cuba’s adoption of a new Constitution, and in order to overcome the current economic and social crisis, we call on it to ensure that its reform agenda extends economic, judicial and social reforms and that it is implemented in a manner that addresses the key concerns of the Cuban population, as well as meeting the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Cuban people for more opportunities to participate in the shaping of the country’s future. With the European Union-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, the European Union offers Cuba a consistent and reliable partnership to support it as it seeks to reform its political and economic model, pursue sustainable development and find common solutions to global challenges, while it continues to advocate democracy and respect for human rights in the exclusive interest of all Cuban citizens. It is our considered view that the United States embargo does not contribute to achieving those goals. On the contrary, it prevents their achievement. In that regard, the member States of the European Union voted unanimously in favour of resolution 78/7.

The United States stands resolutely with the Cuban people. We strongly support their pursuit of a future with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Approximately 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba  — more than at any point in Cuba’s recent history. Nearly 700 of those detentions are owed to the historic 11 July 2021 protests, during which members of civil society, including human rights defenders as well as minors of age, exercised their freedom of expression and right of peaceful assembly. We share the Cuban people’s dream of democracy in Cuba and join international partners in calling for the Cuban Government to immediately release all those unjustly detained. Despite Cuba’s membership in the Human Rights Council, the Cuban Government has delayed responding to requests to send independent experts to Cuba, who would help advance respect for human rights, including the freedom of expression, the freedom of religion or belief and the freedom to assemble peacefully. Some of those requests have remained pending for 10 years. Sanctions are one set of tools in our broader effort towards Cuba to advance democracy and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba. We therefore oppose resolution 78/7. We recognize the challenges that the Cuban people face. That is why United States sanctions include exemptions and authorizations relating to the exports of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to Cuba. The United States remains a significant source of humanitarian goods to the Cuban people and one of Cuba’s principal trading partners. In 2022 alone, United States companies exported more than $295 million worth of agricultural goods to Cuba, including food, to help meet the needs of the Cuban people. The United States opposes this resolution. We encourage this organ to urge the Cuban Government to adhere to its human rights obligations and listen to the Cuban people and their aspirations to determine their own future.

We have heard the last speaker in explanation of vote after the voting. The exercise of the right of reply has been requested. May I remind members that statements in the exercise of the right of reply are limited to 10 minutes for the first intervention and to five minutes for the second intervention and should be made by delegations from their seats.

I am exercising my right of reply in response to the statement made by the representative of the United States. Once again, with old and new pretexts, the Government of the United States is attempting in vain to justify a policy that is illegal and morally unsustainable, notwithstanding the fact that General Assembly has overwhelmingly reaffirmed for more than three decades the international community’s unequivocal message on the urgent need to end economic blockade against Cuba. The current Government of the United States has imposed the most stringent economic siege and impactful coercive instruments ever against Cuba. The endless repeated announcements made in May 2022 concerning visas, remittances and travel to Cuba do not alter the major measures to strengthen the blockade that have resulted in the dramatic deterioration of the standard of living of the Cuban population since 2019. The statement made by the representative of the United States is hypocritical and dishonest. The criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade against the people of Cuba is a cruel, prolonged and massive violation of their human rights that cannot be justified, not even by the lies, slander and myths that the White House and the State Department usually use to justify their actions. Alarmingly, more than 5,800 children under the age of 18 were injured or killed by gunfire in the United States last year, while the number of school shootings rose to 302, the highest number since 1970. Systemic racism, police brutality, repressive policies against migrants, the suppression of reproductive rights, extrajudicial killings and the use of torture are just a few of the reprehensible practices that are committed in the United States and shock the world. The United States complicity in the mass murder of civilians in Gaza by Israeli military forces makes it party to a crime against humanity. The United States delegation is lying when it cites inflated levels of exports and humanitarian assistance to our country. It is cynically using multi-million dollar amounts from funds that the United States Agency for International Development allocates to subversion in Cuba and to stopping the care packages sent, at great cost, by Cuban emigres to their families and the modest donations that are made, despite many obstacles, by non-governmental organizations. It is also false that the United States is a supplier of medicines to Cuba. There is irrefutable proof that the blockade has obstructed the main official channels for sending assistance to my country, including from third countries, in the midst of combating the coronavirus disease. The restrictions on the export of medicines to Cuba are explicitly provided for in the law and constitute a weapon of aggression against our country. The United States claims to advocate for individual freedoms and support for the private sector in Cuba, but it has not reversed restrictions that have a direct negative impact on Cuban entrepreneurs. If the United States Government is truly interested in the welfare, human rights and self-determination of Cubans, it could lift the blockade, join in our international cooperation, instead of discrediting it, and remove us from the list of States that allegedly sponsor terrorism, on which Cuba should have never been included. I conclude by citing the statement made a few weeks ago in this very Hall by President Miguel Díaz- Canel Bermúdez of Cuba, who said, “Cuba will continue to strengthen its democracy and its socialist model, which even under siege has shown how much a developing country  — small in size and with modest natural wealth  — can do. We will continue our transformative process, seeking ways out of the siege imposed on us by United States imperialism and ways to achieve the prosperity with social justice that our people deserve.” (A/78/PV.4, p.27)

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 38?