This document contains an update of Cuba's response to United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 75/289, entitled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba".
It includes the main effects caused by the blockade on Cuba in the period between August 2021 and February 2022.
The combined effects of a multidimensional global crisis in the energy, food, environmental and transport sectors, and the cumulative impact of two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, have shaped a complex international context.
Inserted in this reality, Cuba has had to face, additionally, the unprecedented tightening of the US blockade, which includes additional very aggressive measures imposed during Donald Trump's administration and which, for the most part, are still in force as a continuation of the policy of maximum pressure against the country.
Since 2019, the blockade has escalated to a qualitatively more harmful and inhumane dimension, with a reinforced extraterritorial component.
The lawsuits filed under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, the persecution of companies, ships and shipping companies that send fuel supplies to the country, the arbitrary and unjustified inclusion of Cuba on the State Department's List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, the attack on all sources of income and foreign currency entering the country, the intimidation of third parties and the reinforcement of pressure on governments, banking institutions and businessmen around the world, have been consolidated as an essential part of the US strategy to isolate Cuba. These have been consolidated as an essential part of the US strategy to isolate Cuba and provoke economic collapse.
The continued full application of the Helms-Burton Act, including the authorisation to file lawsuits in US courts under its Title III, further expanded the scheme to hinder Cuba's economic, commercial and financial relations with third countries. At the end of July 2022, 37 legal proceedings were underway in US courts under this extraterritorial law.
Cuba's continued presence on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism has reinforced the deterrent and intimidating impact of the blockade, as well as the country's difficulties in engaging in international trade and financial operations. This has resulted in the closing of contracts, the loss of relations with banking institutions that usually worked with Cuba, indebtedness, delays in sending and receiving funds and goods, among other difficulties, with incalculable costs and consequences for the Cuban people and economy.
In conditions of a real economic war, the US government has unleashed a pernicious media-communication campaign in an attempt to destabilise the country. They resort to lies, slander, manipulation of data, images and the most diverse methods of unconventional warfare to generate political destabilisation and so-called "regime change", in blatant violation of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
They have appealed to the sentiments of intentionally selected audiences. They placed our children, youth and artists at the centre of the media bombardment. They promoted artificial leaders, fabricated pretexts for the failed rehearsal of a humanitarian intervention, encouraged irregular migration, and used a misleading narrative to position the false image of a government in crisis, repressive and unstable, unable to respond to the demands of its people.
For these activities, the US government has earmarked some $20 million annually. The programmes are operated under Section 109 of the Helms-Burton Act, which authorises the US President to provide assistance and other support to individuals and non-governmental organisations in favour of Cuba's "democratisation" efforts.
The measures on Cuba announced on 16 May by Joseph Biden's administration regarding the coercive design imposed during Donald Trump's term in office are very limited in nature. In essence, they include the following provisions:
- Gradual and limited resumption of immigrant visa procedures at the US Embassy in Havana for specific categories.
- Authorisation of regular and charter flights to and from nine international airports in the country, in addition to Havana.
- Elimination of the limit of 3,600 annual flight frequencies to Havana and authorisation of private charter flights to the whole country.
- Authorisation of "people-to-people" group travel, under the general licence for educational travel.
- Elimination of the USD 1,000 per quarter limit on family remittances and authorisation of non-family remittances.
- These regulations do not address the most harmful aspects of the blockade, nor do they reverse the most aggressive measures adopted by the Donald Trump administration.
The ban on regular bilateral trade and on imports from third countries of goods containing more than 10% US components remains unchanged. The List of Restricted Cuban Entities and the List of Prohibited Accommodations, the actions to prevent the transfer of fuel, as well as the inclusion of Cuba on the State Department's List of State Sponsors of Terrorism remain in force.
The prohibition on the use of the US dollar in Cuba's international transactions is maintained, as well as the impossibility of using the US financial system to carry out such transactions, when the origin and destination of the transfers is a Cuban entity and a third country.
All of this generates substantial losses due to variations in exchange rates between the US currency and that of third countries in which payments and collections are made, as well as other additional costs.
For US citizens, travel to Cuba is still prohibited. It is only possible to do so through licences established in the regulatory framework of the blockade, with numerous restrictions. The measures do not authorise individual "people-to-people" educational trips, an important limitation that requires travel in groups and under the auspices, supervision and legal responsibility of a US organisation.
Similarly, the resumption of immigration services at the US Embassy in Havana has so far been gradual and very limited. The US Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana, remains the main consular processing centre for Cuba. This affects citizens and families from both countries and contributes to encouraging irregular migration.
With regard to remittances, it remains impossible to carry out these operations through formal and institutional channels, while US processing entities are prohibited from carrying out transactions with Cuban companies included on the Restricted Entities List.
The current US government presents these administrative regulations as "support for the Cuban people"; however, its hostile and demagogic actions contradict any real interest in returning to the path initiated during Barack Obama's presidency, which led to notable advances in the bilateral relationship.
The determination to generate material shortages, shortages, sow discouragement and dissatisfaction and cause harm to the Cuban people, as well as to hinder the possibilities of economic progress in a scenario of serious global crisis, persists.
Between August 2021 and February 2022 alone, this policy caused losses to Cuba in the order of 3,806.5 billion dollars, a figure 49% higher than that reported in the previous period (January-July 2021). This record amount, in just seven months, is a reflection of the intensified impact of the blockade on Cuban exports, mainly in the tourism sector, the merciless persecution of the country's banking and financial operations, the costs of geographic relocation of trade, the effects on production and services provided to the population and the obstacles to access to advanced technologies.
It is estimated that GDP could have grown by 4.5% in these seven months if the blockade had not been in place, which projected to one year represents nearly 8%.
Taking into account the damages reported between January and July 2021, in the first 14 months of Joseph Biden's government alone, the damages caused by the blockade reached 6,364 million dollars, which represents an impact of more than 454 million dollars a month and more than 15 million dollars a day.
In current prices, the accumulated damage during six decades of this policy amounts to 154,217.3 billion dollars. Taking into account the behaviour of the dollar against the value of gold on the international market, the blockade has caused quantifiable damages of more than 1 trillion 391,111 billion dollars.
As a result, the performance of the Cuban economy has experienced extraordinary pressures that have manifested themselves in industry, services, retail trade, food and medicine shortages and the deterioration of the level of consumption and general well-being of the population.
In recent months, the search for energy stability has been systematically pursued under very complex conditions, as the availability of power plants has been limited by the lack of fuel, spare parts and other resources essential for their repair and maintenance. The few suppliers that have decided to continue supplying Cuba with these products have increased prices considerably in line with the country risk.
Between August 2021 and February 2022 alone, damages to the energy and mining sector amounted to 185 million 533 thousand 55 dollars. This is almost 50 million more than the figure reported between January and July 2021.
The data do not illustrate the true impact of these affectations on the daily lives of Cubans, nor the constant stress generated by the intermittent interruptions to the electricity service, despite the government's willingness and effort to achieve a prompt and effective solution to this problem.
During this period, the German firm Brüel & Kjær Vibro GmbH, supplier of the technology for the vibration monitoring systems for the thermal turbines of the Unión Nacional Eléctrica, stated that it would not enter into contracts with the Cuban importing company ENERGOIMPORT if it did not make all the payments in advance, while its bank recommended it not to operate with Cuba due to the application of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.
In October 2021, the French supplier CNIM informed the trading company DEVEXPORT that it could not continue with the contracts for spare parts for the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant because, following an internal financial restructuring, the Group had undertaken not to finance, facilitate or develop activities with any country subject to sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US State Department.
The blockade violates the right to life and health of all Cubans. The impact of this policy is reflected in the shortage of essential products for the consumption of the population, as well as the difficulties of the national industry to acquire the necessary inputs for the production of medicines and other essential services.
Cuba is capable of producing more than 60% of its basic list of medicines; however, these levels have not been guaranteed for months due to the impact of the blockade on the country's ability to pay, the impossibility of accessing medical technologies with more than 10% US components, the need to resort to alternative transportation routes at a high additional cost, and the growing refusal of financial and banking institutions in various countries to process transactions with Cuba, which has prevented transactions with suppliers of these inputs.
This is illustrated by the impossibility of making a purchase of insulin from the Danish company Novo Nordisk, due to the refusal of the Danske Bank to accept bank transfers. The bank alleged that it could not receive funds from the International Financial Bank (BFI), as it is a Cuban entity sanctioned by OFAC.
In the midst of the confrontation with COVID-19, the blockade hindered the arrival of syringes in the country to support the vaccination process. Negotiations with a foreign supplier had to be interrupted, as the British bank HSBC informed the supplier that it could not carry out payment transactions destined for the island.
During the major pandemic peak in the country in 2021, not a single blockade relief measure was applied. This policy hindered the arrival of donations; the acquisition of cylinders, spare parts and other components necessary for the supply of medical oxygen; as well as the purchase and transportation of materials indispensable for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as for the research, production and evaluation of vaccine candidates and Cuban vaccines against COVID-19.
As a result of the blockade, the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), producer of the Cuban vaccine against COVID-19 Abdala, reported losses of 190 million 671 thousand dollars. For the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), producer of the Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus vaccines, this policy generated difficulties in 20 operations, 11 corresponding to supplies, 6 to reagents and 3 to equipment from US manufacturers.
Clinical studies of autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases have not been able to begin because the necessary drugs, which are therapeutic standards in the world, are not available for Cuban patients.
These severe limitations are detrimental to the quality of services provided to the Cuban population, as they generate delays, waiting lists for specialised medical care, increased hospital stays and other negative effects.
Between August 2021 and February 2022, the effects on production and services in the agricultural sector, obstacles in monetary-financial operations, additional costs due to the geographical relocation of trade and other obstacles to acquiring technology and fuel, seriously impacted the production and acquisition of food in Cuba, generating effects worth 270 million 932 thousand 307 dollars in the area of agriculture.
At this stage, a considerable group of banks refused to process payments to suppliers of the Cuban food importing company ALIMPORT, for products such as soy, vegetable fat, pork feed, sausages, among others.
Added to this are the obstacles associated with maritime transport, which have an impact on our entire logistical chain. In this regard, the MSC shipping line, which transported a considerable volume of our cargoes, mainly from ALIMPORT, has continued to be out of service, which has hindered operations with traditional markets.
Due to the lack of fuel, irrigation, land preparation, phytosanitary protection and the movement of agricultural personnel have been increasingly affected. Similarly, difficulties persist in the acquisition and/or repair of equipment necessary for agricultural and pre-industrial processing and transport in general.
In the period, the Cuban company TRANSIMPORT made 518 requests for automotive equipment, tractors, batteries, engines, forklifts, parts and pieces, among others. It received only 9% of the demands made to foreign suppliers.
The blockade affects Cuban private enterprise as much as it does state enterprise. There are plenty of examples of IT tools that are not accessible to national developers simply because they are Cuban. They are also hindered from accessing external financial mechanisms, opening bank accounts abroad and the possibility of using payment and e-commerce platforms that are forbidden to Cuba.
The impact of the blockade is not only limited to the Cuban reality. Through pressure and the use of scandalously anti-democratic and interfering practices, Washington seeks to make the rest of the countries and international organisations abide by its political decisions regarding Cuba.
In November 2021, it became known that the US Embassy in Vienna sent a letter to the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), explicitly requesting that the funds allocated by its government to the organisation for nuclear security activities should not be used for cooperation projects with Cuba.
During the period, a total of 100 foreign banks were identified as being involved in 261 actions to close accounts and established banking contracts, return transactions, refuse to open accounts, cancel passwords for the exchange of financial information through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), among others. As a result, the effects on the banking-financial sector amounted to 260.8 million dollars, 93 million more than the figure reported between January and July 2021.
Likewise, dozens of Cuban diplomatic missions around the world have lost their relationship with the banks that traditionally provide them with services, due to the latter's fear of reprisals from the US government.
As a result, the country has encountered obstacles in paying its contributions to various international and regional organisations, despite the Cuban government's willingness to honour its financial commitments.
In mid-2021, the Société Générale Bank decided to close the accounts of the Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO and the Cuban Embassy to the French Republic, which has substantially affected the normal functioning of both diplomatic missions. The announcement of the definitive closure of the aforementioned accounts is part of the policy of blockade towards Cuba, while at the same time it violates Regulation 2271/96 adopted by the European Council to counteract its extraterritorial effects.
Another example came to light in January of this year, when the Dutch multinational bank Internationale Nederlanden Groep decided to block all donations to the Progressive International delegation that was to travel to our country as part of an initiative to support access to vaccines against HIV/AIDS worldwide. The bank claimed that the decision was made on the basis of risk assessments in light of the US sanctions imposed on Cuba.
The digital accommodation platform Airbnb Payments, Inc. had to pay a fine of 91,172 dollars imposed by OFAC at the beginning of 2022 for accepting payments from Americans who travelled to Cuba outside the categories authorised by the White House.
Former President Barack Obama's own deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, called the fine "stupid, counterproductive and Trumpian" for denying the Americans the ability to provide income directly to Cubans and establish connections between the two peoples.
Recently, the country experienced moments of extreme anguish and tension as a result of the large-scale fire at the supertanker base in Matanzas province, which caused regrettable human and material losses. While dozens of nations, friends and Cubans living abroad showed their solidarity with Cuba, the blockade continued to hinder the arrival of international aid to the country.
The National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship was unable to make a transfer to the account of the International Financial Bank destined for emergency donations, as the BPM bank and the Milan branch of Banca Etica claimed that the BFI was on the list of entities sanctioned by the US State Department.
The blockade constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of the Cuban people.
It is an act of economic warfare in times of peace. It represents the main obstacle to the economic and social development of the country, as well as to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
Its claims are illegitimate and illegal, in violation of the UN Charter and international law.
The limited changes announced on May 16, 2022, responded to the continuous denunciation of the Cuban people and government, to the constant demands within US society and the community of Cubans living abroad to put an end to the blockade, as well as to the almost unanimous position of the countries of the world in rejection of this cruel system of unilateral coercive measures.
Three decades after the first resolution of the United Nations General Assembly against the blockade, the US government persists in ignoring the numerous pronouncements of that international forum calling for the elimination, without conditions, of its failed, unilateral and criminal policy against Cuba.
In this particularly complex context, Cuba and its people are deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity received, and trust that they can continue to count on the support of the international community in their legitimate demand to put an end to this unjust policy.