STATEMENT BY THE SVG-CUBA FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
VOTE “NO TO BLOCKADE” ON CUBA
Kingstown - 29 October 2025. The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cuba – SVG Friendship Society expresses its wholesome support for the Resolution to be debated at the United Nations for the unconditional removal of the economic and commercial sanctions to which the Republic of Cuba has been subjected for in excess of sixty years.
Rather than relaxing the blockade, additional punitive measures have been implemented including the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
This unjust designation has resulted in increased hardships for the ordinary child, women and working class man. It has increased the shortages of medicines, impacting the provision of basic healthcare and has made it increasingly difficult for families to put food on their tables. This is barbaric; this is unjust.
In its six decades of revolutionary transformation, and despite having to contend with this most barbaric and unjustifiable economic blockade, Cuba has unselfishly contributed to the improvement of the educational standards and to saving the lives of people from every corner of the world. Today, Cuba stands as a beacon of genuine internationalism and solidarity.
Our solidarity and support for the Cuban revolution are based on the noble principles of the UN Charter which recognizes each country’s right to self-determination and respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been a direct beneficiary of Cuba’s generosity over the years. Cuba has significantly assisted in the expansion of our human resource talent pool by offering hundreds of University scholarships to Vincentian students in various fields of study. Its offer of medical assistance has also been invaluable and several of its doctors and nurses continue to deliver top medical care to Vincentians from all walks of life. It is no hyperbole to suggest that the human development index in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been positively impacted over the years by Cuba’s humanitarian interventions in the different sectors of our economy. Furthermore, international air access and by extension our international trading capacity have been given a tremendous boost by the recent construction of an international airport which was made possible by the generous assistance of the government and people of Cuba.
Cuba has never asked for anything in return. In making this call we recognize that Cuba faces enormous existential challenges, not the least of which is climate change and the host of natural disasters which have been wreaking havoc on the country in recent years. All of this combines for making a more compelling case for the abolition of the economic and financial blockade against the country.
Undoubtedly, if Cuba is allowed the opportunity to pursue its economic and social goals without hostile external interference, it will be better positioned to meet the needs of its people.
For all the above reasons the SVG – Cuba Friendship Society calls for the unconditional lifting of the blockade against Cuba and the cessation of all hostilities aimed at bringing the country to its knees.
We trust that once again, the majority of members of the United Nations would join in voting for the elimination of this unjust and criminal economic and financial blockade of Cuba.
27 October 2025
KINGSTOWN