Mr. President,
With the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development, a hope was born.
Forty years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. The current international economic order, unjust by design, perpetuates dependence and exploitation of developing countries through a predatory financial architecture and the proliferation of unilateral coercive measures.
The economic blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba remains in force and has been unprecedentedly reinforced. The United States subjects Cuba to a criminal energy siege intended to provoke extraordinary humanitarian harm. It obstructs all commercial relations from any country with ours through intimidation and coercion, so‑called secondary sanctions, and direct pressure on governments and international actors.
A critical situation is thus configured: an international order in which the U.S. government seeks to decide with whom others may trade, what cooperation they may sustain, and what fuel may or may not reach a blockaded island.
It is based on sanctions, fear, and forced obedience, with the imposition of unilateral U.S. interests. This order is unsustainable, unjust, and dangerous for all peoples. Today it is applied against Cuba; tomorrow it may be applied against any other State.
The U.S. government will not achieve its objective of bending the will of the Cuban people, nor will Cuba renounce its right to self‑determination.
Together with the Non‑Aligned Movement, we will continue to advocate for a world where development is not the privilege of a few, but a right within reach of all.
Thank you very much.