United Nations, New York, 8 October, 2026. – Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to general and complete disarmament, with special emphasis on the elimination of nuclear weapons, during the general debate of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, at its 81st session. In his speech, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán warned of the deterioration of international security and the sustained increase in global military expenditure amounting to a record of $ 2.887 trillion dollars, while millions of people continue to suffer from hunger, poverty, and underdevelopment.
The Cuban diplomat denounced that the arms race diverts vast resources indispensable for development and stressed that peace and development are inseparable. He warned that nuclear weapons continue to pose the greatest threat to humanity and reiterated the need for progress towards their total elimination in an irreversible, transparent, verifiable and legally binding manner. Likewise, he reaffirmed Cuba’s support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), advocated its universalization and defended the preservation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.
At the same time, he expressed concern about the continuing paralysis of multilateral disarmament mechanisms and rejected any attempt to normalize this situation. He also stressed the importance of strengthening international cooperation to prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, as well as revitalizing the Conference on Disarmament and ensuring compliance with its negotiating mandate. He reiterated that strengthening the United Nations and international law are indispensable conditions for confronting growing challenges to international peace and security.
In terms of technological security, the Cuban Diplomat denounced the illegal use of information and communications technologies, digital platforms and radio spectrum from U.S. territory to carry out actions against Cuba that violate its sovereignty and security. He warned that cyberspace cannot become a new stage for military confrontation and advocated the adoption of legally binding international rules to ensure the peaceful and responsible use of these technologies. He also called for addressing multilaterally the challenges associated with military applications of artificial intelligence and reiterated Cuba’s opposition to weaponization of outer space.
The Ambassador reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to strengthening international conventions on biological and chemical weapons through effective, non-discriminatory mechanisms in accordance with their respective mandates. In this context, it denounced the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba as a violation of the provisions on international cooperation contained in both instruments. It also rejected the use of politically motivated and selective approaches that impede the functioning of multilateral disarmament mechanisms.
At the end of his speech, Soberón Guzmán emphasized that today’s challenges cannot justify abandoning multilateralism or accepting a new arms race. He ratified that Cuba will continue to defend general and complete disarmament, with nuclear disarmament as a top priority, as well as an international order based on peace, justice, cooperation, the sovereign equality of states and unrestricted respect for the Charter of the United Nations.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.