United Nations, New York, October 6, 2026. – Cuba denounced before the Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly that the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States has reached unprecedented levels, while the energy siege against the country qualifies as a collective punishment that intentionally obstructs access to fuel and directly affects the living conditions of the Cuban people.
During the general debate of the Second Committee of the eighty-first session of the General Assembly, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, said that the damage extends to power generation, hospitals, schools, transportation, water supply, agriculture, and the availability of food and medicine. He also denounced the intensification of extraterritorial measures and “so-called secondary” sanctions against companies, banks, and suppliers from third countries that maintain legitimate relations with Cuba.
The Cuban diplomat warned that these measures are taken in an international context marked by wars, growing inequality and serious obstacles to development. Meanwhile, military expenditure reached a record $2.9 trillion dollars in 2025, external debt service for developing countries amounted to $1.6 trillion, at a time when significant financial gaps persist in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda.
Cuba called for mobilizing new, additional and predictable resources to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the effective steps towards the establishment of a multilateral mechanism for the negotiation of sovereign debt, and the reform of the international financial institutions. He also reiterated that peace and the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be achieved while the right to development is denied to a large part of humanity.
Soberón Guzmán reaffirmed Cuba’s support for the Palestinian cause and reasserted its strong condemnation of the genocide perpetrated in Gaza by Israel, with sustained political, military, logistical and financial support from the United States. He also advocated strengthening multilateralism and respect for international law in the face of global challenges.
Despite the intensification of the blockade, Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda and highlighted the 176 economic and social reforms undertaken to increase productivity and address the needs of the population. Cuba’s actions, he stressed, will continue to be guided by the defense of the right to development and efforts to build a more just, inclusive and equitable world.
(Cubaminrex- CubanMission to UN)