New York, October 31, 2025. — Ambassador Yuri Ariel Gala Lopez, Chargé d’affaires, a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, took part in 80th General Assembly plenary debate with the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Jürg Lauber.
The Cuban diplomat emphasized that all countries face human rights challenges and should not seek to set themselves up as paradigms or impose their views on others. He recalled that the dissolution of the former Commission on Human Rights demonstrated to the world that double standards and selectivity only provoke confrontation and mistrust, thereby undermining the credibility of the UN’s human rights institution. He insisted that “history should not repeat itself”, and that “the Council can and must better fulfill its mandate”.
Ambassador Gala López reiterated that Cuba takes its membership in the Human Rights Council seriously, advocating for dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect when considering human rights. "We strongly support the principles of universality, objectivity, and non-discrimination in the treatment of human rights," he said.
The Cuban diplomat also stated that human rights should not be exploited for hegemonic purposes, political destabilization, or regime change attempts.
He emphasized that selectively highlighting the human rights situation in certain developing countries — several of which are victims of unilateral coercive measures — is discriminatory and counterproductive. Meanwhile, the complicit silence in the face of human rights abuses committed in highly developed countries is worrying.
The ambassador said he shares the objective of strengthening the Council on the basis of its mandate as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly pursuant to Resolution 60/251. This should be done in strict compliance with the so-called "Institutional Building Package" while preserving the Universal Periodic Review as an ideal forum for conducting a comprehensive analysis of the human rights situation in all countries on an equal footing.
He emphasized that the Council should promote a more democratic and equitable international order where social justice prevails, denounce the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on entire peoples' enjoyment of human rights, and highlight inalienable rights such as the right to development, peace, a healthy environment, and international solidarity.
Ambassador Gala López reiterated that the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba is a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the Cuban people’s human rights, exacerbated by Cuba’s inclusion on the unilateral and spurious list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. He recalled that, just two days ago, the UN General Assembly unequivocally condemned this illegal blockade for the thirty-third time and affirmed that the overwhelming majority of the international community supports truth and justice against this inhumane policy, despite intense pressure and blackmail.
He concluded by stating that the United States' international offensive against Cuba "will not achieve its long-standing goal of subjugating the Cuban people, whose history of struggle and resistance is well known."
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations