Geneva, April 9, 2026.- Cuba is participating in the Second International Conference on Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCM), taking place in Geneva on April 9 and 10, with a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo.
The event, organized by the Special Rapporteur on UCMs, Alena Douhan, is being held under the theme “Humanitarian Action, Reparation, and Accountability in a Context of Unilateral Sanctions.” The gathering brings together representatives of governments, international organizations, and experts in international law.
The opening of the Conference’s High-Level Session featured a special message from the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. In his remarks, the President denounced the tightening of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the island, with special emphasis on the energy blockade imposed on January 29 by Executive Order of President Donald Trump. “By preventing fuel from reaching Cuba, the U.S. government is flagrantly, deliberately, and unjustifiably violating the human rights of an entire people, as well as the freedom of trade of third countries.”
For her part, Deputy Minister Rodríguez Camejo spoke at the Conference’s high-level plenary session, where she emphasized that unilateral coercive measures have a direct impact on the daily lives of the Cuban population, affecting key sectors such as public health, transportation, production, and the country’s sustainability. She also emphasized that these practices contravene fundamental principles of international law, including those enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, such as sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and the self-determination of peoples.
During the plenary session itself, a statement was presented by the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter, which strongly condemns all unilateral coercive measures and, in particular, the current excessive and brutal escalation of the U.S. blockade against Cuba. “The Group defends Cuba’s sovereign right to build its own future, free from foreign interference.”
Cuba advocated for a more coordinated response within the United Nations system to these measures, promoting initiatives such as the creation of a working group in the Human Rights Council, progress toward a legally binding international instrument, and the opening of new spaces for high-level and academic dialogue on the matter.
The presidential message forms the political basis of Cuba’s statement, presenting the blockade as a policy aimed at exerting economic pressure on the country. In this context, the delegation reaffirmed its commitment to multilateralism, international cooperation, and the right of peoples to sovereignly determine their own destiny.
The Cuban delegation also includes Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson, Cuba’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission. During her stay, the deputy minister will hold bilateral meetings with foreign delegations, representatives of international organizations, members of solidarity movements, and Cubans residing in Switzerland.
(EmbaCubaFiyi - CubaMINREX)