(...) the Embargo is still in force; it continues to cause serious damages and hardships to the Cuban people; and continues to hinder the functioning of our economy and its relations with other countries. (...) The recent examples of the economic and financial damages caused by the Embargo to Cuba and third countries are numerous. As long as this continues to happen, we will continue to present to this Assembly the draft Resolution entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”.
We reiterate the Cuban Government’s willingness to continue developing a respectful dialogue with the US Government, knowing that there is still a long way ahead in order to move towards the normalization of relations, which means to build a new model of bilateral relations in our common history, which could never be forgotten.
For this to be possible some day, it will be indispensable that the Embargo is lifted. The territory illegally occupied by the US naval base in Guantánamo against Cuba’s will, must be returned to our country.
(...) The Cuban people, even amidst the adverse conditions imposed by the current international situation and the persistence of the economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed by the United States, continues to be involved in the updating of the economic and social model it has decided to implement in a sovereign way in order to build a sovereign, independent, socialist, prosperous and sustainable nation. (71 UNGA General Debate, 22 September 2016)
(...) despite the continued economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed by the United States, Cuba has a unique health care system, which is free of charge, equally accessible to all and based on Primary Health Care. It also has a Basic Schedule of 849 medicines, out of which 20.2 % are antimicrobials. (General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly´s High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, 21 September 2016)
Cuba has endured for more than 50 years an economic, commercial and financial Embargo which violates massive, flagrant and systematically the human rights of an entire people, particularly that of the right to development. Our country will continue struggling to overcome the obstacles it faces and will contribute, to the extent of its modest possibilities, for the solution of the most pressing problems of other peoples.
We do so under the conviction expressed by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, in this Plenary, 37 years ago, when stating: “It is time for all to unite in the task to bring complete nations and hundreds of millions of human beings out of backward state, misery, malnutrition, disease and illiteracy which deprive them of fully enjoying the dignity and pride of calling themselves men.” (High-Level Segment to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, 22 September 2016)
The US economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed on Cuba persists. Its humanitarian harm is significant and present in the daily life of any Cuban family.
The executive measures adopted by the Government of the United States of America are positive although totally insufficient. The application of the Embargo, especially in the financial sector hampers severely the development of the Cuban economy. It has negative extraterritorial effects on the sovereignty and the economy of all the countries in the planet and constitutes a massive, systematic and flagrant violation of the human rights of all Cubans. (Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77, 23 September 2016)
Africa has always been at Cuba’s side. Over these 50 years of economic, commercial and financial Embargo imposed against our country, African governments and peoples have closed ranks to demand the right of the Cuban people to decide its destiny. (Joint Debate on Agenda items “New partnership for Africa’s development” and “Decade to roll back Malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa”, 14 October 2016)
Despite the economic, commercial and financial Embargo against Cuba, our country will maintain its cooperation programs with African and Caribbean nations as well as with other third world countries, as part of the joint efforts to reverse the consequences of slave trade and other shameful chapters of capitalism in its colonial, neocolonial and financial transnational domination stages. (Agenda item: “Commemoration of the abolition of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.”, 20 October 2016)