I would like to express our heartfelt solidarity with the sister Caribbean nation of Belize, which is suffering today the ravages left by a powerful hurricane.
Mr. President;
Permanent Representatives;
Distinguished delegates;
More than 80 percent of Cuba’s current population was born under the blockade.
Three decades have gone by since this Assembly first started to demand, as it has continued to do every year thereafter, the ceasing of that US policy against Cuba, which classifies as an act of genocide and has the effect of a “permanent pandemic, a never-ending hurricane”.
It is a deliberate act of economic warfare intended to obstruct the country’s incoming revenues; destroy the government’s ability to attend to the needs of the people; bring about the collapse of the economy and create a situation of non-governability. As was suggested by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lester Mallory Back in 1960, this policy seeks to provoke “disenchantment and disaffection (…); decrease (…) wages; bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government”.
Since 2019, the government of the United States has escalated the siege around our country, taking it to an even crueler and more inhumane dimension, with the purpose of deliberately inflicting the biggest possible damage on Cuban families.
During the first 14 months of President Joseph Biden’s administration, the damages caused by this were estimated at 6.364 billion dollars, that is, over 15 million dollars per day.
Between August, 2021 and February, 2022, losses amounted to 3.806 billion dollars, a record figure for a period of only seven months. Had the blockade not existed, our GDP could have grown by 4.5 per cent during that same period.
After more than 60 years, cumulative damages have been estimated at 154.217 billion dollars at current prices; and, based on the price of gold, they account for 1.391 trillion dollars. How would Cuba be like today had it had those resources? What else could we have done? How would our economy be like?
It is impossible to quantify the anxiety generated by blackouts and the instability in the power system; supplies shortages and long queues to buy essential goods; or the obstacles to life projects of families, particularly youths.
The blockade also creates the conditions that incite irregular, disorderly and unsafe migration and the painful separation of families. It takes a toll on the lives of Cuban men and women and contributes to transnational organized crime and trafficking in persons.
Mr. President;
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the United States applied temporary humanitarian exemptions to countries that are victims of its unilateral coercive measures and other sanctions.
Why was Cuba excluded from that temporary humanitarian relief?
Worse still, while the COVID-19 pandemic was claiming millions of lives in the planet and was filling Cuba with sorrow, the blockade was further tightened, thus generating difficulties and delays in the arrival in our country of the medical inputs and equipment indispensable to confront the disease, particularly for the industrial scale-up of Cuban vaccines. Even the purchase of medical oxygen in third countries was hindered.
When the blockade prevented the supply of ventilators, Cuba developed them locally with prototypes of its own.
So, how is it that a small country like Cuba has been able to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic with resources and vaccines of its own making?
At the worst moment of the pandemic and despite our limited resources, we cooperated with other nations by sending 58 medical brigades to 42 countries and territories, which joined the more than 28 thousand Cuban dedicated health professionals who at that time were already offering their services in 59 nations.
But the blockade also hampers the national production of antibiotics, analgesics, hypotensive drugs, medicines to treat cancer and cardiopathies as well as several other basic medications which never before had been in such short supply in our hospitals and drug stores.
Cuban boys and girls suffering from retina problems or glaucoma are not able to include in their therapies the laser system manufactured by the US company IRIDEX CORPORATION. Cases evolving to a more severe condition run the risk of going blind.
Our children have no access either to US made biological heart valves.
Low birth weight babies have to undergo open chest surgeries because the ultra low profile catheters marketed by US firms such as BOSTON SCIENTIFIC are not available in Cuba.
There is no way in which the US government can justify the implementation of a policy that deprives Cuban children who suffer from cancer from receiving the ideal chemotherapy to treat their condition.
Working the feat of saving and preserving life in the midst of such difficult circumstances can only be possible thanks to the governmental and collective efforts that have been made for decades to build a high quality and robust system of science and health of a deeply humanist nature, accessible to all Cubans at absolutely no cost.
Mr. President;
The blockade has also exacerbated the financial restrictions and the limited access to credits to repair, invest in and give maintenance to the country’s thermo power stations. Suppliers have significantly increased their prices claiming the risk they incur when doing operations with Cuba.
After 26 years of uninterrupted work, the German Group Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH decided to terminate its relations with Unión Cuba Petróleo (CUPET).
The French supplier CNIM notified that it can no longer continue to supply the spare parts for the “Antonio Guiteras” Thermo Power Station because they were unable to operate with a country under sanctions.
Equally unceasing and obsessive is the persecution of investments and financial and commercial transactions associated to our country.
Only between January of 2021 and February of 2022, there were 642 direct actions carried out by foreign banks against the Cuban banking system.
In the course of last year a significant number of banks in third countries refused to process payments to the suppliers of the Cuban food import company ALIMPORT.
With permits subject to legal restrictions, Cuba can buy, through the regular commercial channels, a limited amount of agricultural products in the United States, but it is forced to pay in advance and without access to credits, which also becomes extremely difficult because our income sources are also blocked.
Under such financial siege, numerous efforts are to be made by our government to guarantee the basic family food basket.
More often than not, Cuban entrepreneurs are denied the use of electronic payment and commerce platforms.
Our nationals established in different latitudes are not allowed to open personal bank accounts just for being Cuban nationals.
Financial persecution has been further reinforced with the arbitrary and fraudulent inclusion of our country in the unilateral list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism issued by the State Department, which exponentially increases the so called country-risk and forces us to pay any commodity at even twice its price in the international market.
Such action against a country that has been a victim of terrorism; that is still suffering because of the incitement to violence and the commission of terrorist actions from the US territory; with an impeccable and recognized behavior for having firmly rejected and persecuted any form or manifestation of terrorism, is inadmissible.
This was a lethal measure imposed by the former Republican administration only nine days before leaving the White House. The current US president could amend that with just a signature. That would only be morally and legally right.
Mr. President;
The extraterritorial impact of the blockade is also harmful to the sovereignty of the countries that you represent; it violates your national laws; subjects your countries to US courts decisions under Title III of the Helms Burton Act; imposes sanctions on your business people and prevents access to US ports by third countries vessels that had previously touched Cuban ports.
It also prevents subsidiaries of US companies in third countries from trading with Cuba. It forbid exports to Cuba of products manufactured by any country if they have 10 per cent or more of US components; and excludes products manufactured in third countries if they contain Cuban raw materials.
Who could affirm, without failing the truth, that the United States is one of Cuba’s trading partners?
We do not blame the blockade for all the difficulties our country faces today. But those who deny its very serious impacts or fail to recognize that it is the main cause of the deprivations, scarcities and hardships suffered by Cuban families would be failing to tell the truth.
Mr. President;
The US controls the most powerful media and hegemonic digital technological platforms and uses them in a virulent disinformation and disparagement campaign against Cuba.
It resorts to the most diverse methods of non conventional war, using our children, youths and artists as the targets of this political and media bombardment.
The US government allocates tens of millions of dollars from the federal budget and some additional undercover funds and recruits government and private institutions to finance the political operators that launch the disinformation, hatred and destabilization campaigns in the social networks against Cuba.
On October 24 last, the US transnationals Twitter and Meta (Facebook), one of whose main executives had been the former campaign manager of an anti-Cuban Republican Senator, simultaneously deployed actions of censorship against Cuban public media and users. They labeled several publications whose scope has been limited in the networks and cancelled the accounts that were critical of the US destabilizing operations against our country. This was a selective, well-coordinated action that violates the right of Cubans to freedom of expression and reflects the subordination of these companies to the designs of US politicians.
Mr. President;
On July 22 last, at the closing of he Ninth Session of the National Assembly of People’s Power in its Ninth Legislature of President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez affirmed, and I quote: “Cuba’s track record in the development of its foreign relations shows that the promotion of peace, cooperation and solidarity are defining characteristics of our international projection. We have demonstrated this in our Latin American and Caribbean region and also in other parts of the world.”
The current US administration does not have a Cuba policy of its own. It is acting by inertia and has continued to implement the “maximum pressure” policy established under the Donald Trump administration.
During the last few months, it has taken steps to make adjustments to some of the irrational restrictions imposed on US flights to Cuba, remittances and consular proceedings.
These are positive actions, but very limited in their scope and implementation. In no way they modify the policy or the economic, commercial and financial measures.
The blockade, which has been tightened to the extreme, continues to be the central element that defines the US Cuba policy.
The Cuban government is ready to move forward towards a better understanding with the government of the United States and develop civilized and cooperative relations based on mutual respect and without detriment to our sovereignty.
I reiterate the appeal made by our Army General Raúl Castro Ruz to the government of the United States in 2017, for it “to remove the obstacles that prevent or restrict relations between our peoples, the families and citizens from both countries. We should learn the art of coexisting in a civilized manner despite our differences”, end of quote.
Even amidst the inhumane limitations imposed on us by the blockade, Cuba will never renounce its socialist system of social justice, which was confirmed by a free and universal Constitutional Referendum in 2019.
We will always defend the full enjoyment of all human rights by all of our citizens.
We will not accept the attempted imposition of alleged paradigms of democracy or any other culture different from the Cuban culture.
With the same energy with which we defend the inalienable right of every country to choose its own political, economic and social system, we demand respect for ours.
Faithful to the legacy of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, in Cuba there will always be “a government of the people, for the whole people” and “a Revolution of the humble, with the humble and for the humble.”
An undeniable evidence of this is the most recent demonstration of a truly democratic, participatory and inclusive exercise in our country.
In a popular referendum, the Cuban people voted in favor of a new modern and progressive Families Code, one of the most advanced in the world, which is an irrefutable proof of a vocation of taking into account the views of all Cuban men and women, without any type of discrimination.
Our country has not ceased to renew itself, based on the principle of “changing everything that needs to be changed”, in the construction of a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation; in the development of our socialist, rule of law-based, social justice, democratic, independent and sovereign State.
We advocate for an increased participation of our youths and all citizens in general in the political, economic, social and cultural processes of the country.
We are making progress in the decentralization of the economy and the empowerment of state socialist enterprises. Thousands of small and medium size private and state companies have been created. We are promoting science, technology and innovation; the mass introduction of ICTs in our society and social communication as the pillars of government management. More opportunities are being offered to foreign investments as part of our development policy.
Cuba is being continuously renewed. What remains unchanged, anchored in the past and isolated is the US blockade.
We highly assess the support from numerous governments, personalities, and solidarity movements, political, social and popular organizations from all over the world in the face of the injustice that is being committed against Cuba.
Mr. President;
We deeply appreciate the commitment and the expressions of Cubans and Cuban descendants in all latitudes, even in the United States, whose voices have been raised in defense of Cuba’s sovereign rights and against the implementation of this policy.
We also thank all those who have expressed their support to our country in the midst of the difficulties resulting from the works of recovery from the grave trail of destruction left by hurricane Ian in the western provinces in September last.
Hundreds of thousand of our compatriots suffered the hurricane’s impact. A total of 119 048 houses were damaged; huge farming areas were destroyed and the power and communications infrastructure was severely affected, among other damages.
We will continue to gratefully accept any emergency assistance offered to our people without any preconditions.
We appreciate the noble and humanitarian efforts from US organizations, movements and groups; members of Congress and personalities, the solidarity movement and civil society organizations, who in he face of the magnitude of the ravages caused by the hurricane, have requested President Joseph Biden to temporarily lift the unilateral coercive measures against our country and authorize the processing of donations by US banks and the purchase of materials to rebuild the affected areas.
Mr. President;
Permanent Representatives;
Distinguished delegates;
Millions of Cubans are watching right now what is going on in this room. They have heard your interventions and will be closely following your votes.
On their behalf, I should thank the statements against the blockade made by numerous Heads of State and Government and other dignitaries and speakers in these General Debate sessions.
In brief, when casting your votes, you would not only be taking a stand on a vital issue for Cuba and all Cubans.
You will also be voting in favor of the United Nations Charter and International Law. You will be taking a stand in support of reason and justice.
Let Cuba live in peace!
Cuba would be better off without blockade!
Every Cuban family would be better off without blockade!
US citizens would be better off without blockade!
The United States would be a better country without the blockade against Cuba!
The world would be better off without blockade!
I respectfully ask you to vote in favor of draft resolution A/77/L.5 entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” I do it on behalf of the courageous and noble people of Cuba which, despite all adversities, have not been nor will ever be defeated; on behalf of our boys, girls and youths, who are against hate policies, but suffer their cruel effects; on behalf of the generations of Cuban men and women who have been born or are yet to be born under the most cruel and long-lasting system of coercive measures ever applied against any country, which should be abolished for the good of all.
Thank you, very much.
(Cubaminrex)