New York, 1 September 2026. – Cuba denounced before the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the grave consequences the unprecedented tightening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade has on Cuban children and adolescents.
Speaking at the First Regular Session of the UNICEF Executive Board, Carlos Fidel Martín Rodríguez, Director of International Economic Organizations at Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, highlighted the strong and constructive relationship between Cuba and UNICEF, whose cooperation supports national priorities in the areas of education, health, nutrition, social protection, and climate resilience.
The Cuban representative also highlighted UNICEF’s role as a strategic partner in emergency situations, including its support during the pandemic, hurricanes, and earthquakes that have affected the eastern part of the country. He further reaffirmed the priority Cuba places on the protection and overall well-being of its children and adolescents.
Martín Rodríguez denounced the U.S. embargo, which was intensified in 2026 through new measures aimed at imposing an energy blockade and stifling the Cuban economy, as hindering access to medicines, medical technology, and essential supplies for the care of children, young people, and pregnant women. He warned that its consequences are directly reflected in key health indicators and in hospitals’ ability to provide essential services.
He noted that U.S. coercive measures even hinder UNICEF’s efforts to mitigate the effects of this collective punishment. As an example, he recalled that, due to shipping companies’ refusal to transport supplies to Cuba for fear of U.S. sanctions, UNICEF recently had to resort to air transport to deliver 14 metric tons of medicines to the country, with the resulting additional costs borne by the Fund itself.
Despite this complex situation, Cuba reiterated its commitment to continue strengthening cooperation with UNICEF through the new 2026–2030 Country Program and reaffirmed its ongoing willingness to contribute to the well-being and protection of children and adolescents in the Global South.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations