The complex epidemiological situation created worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in the United States, which includes the city of New York, will entail changes in the usual conduct of business during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which is scheduled to begin next September.
This will have an impact on the debate and voting on the resolution submitted by our country in the plenary meeting of the UNGA, which year after year is supported by the international community that almost unanimously demands the lifting of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba.
The resolution is traditionally submitted and adopted by the UN General Assembly in autumn. However, right now it is impossible to predict what the situation with the pandemic will be by that date in the United States and in New York city in particular. Actually, present forecasts indicate that there will be a reescalation of the disease which means that the UN headquarters will continue applying sanitary and epidemiological measures which involve, among other things, reducing the number of delegations in their premises to the minimum.
Taking these factors into account and with a view to ensuring the proper conduct of the debate and the voting, whose positive results are attentively followed by the Cuban people and the international community, it has been decided to change the traditional date of submission of the draft resolution entitled “Need to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”, which is set between late October and early November. The consideration of the resolution has been moved to May 2021 during the resumed 75th session of the UNGA since hopefully by then, there will be an improvement of the epidemiological situation in New York, where the headquarters of the United Nations Organization are located.
This decision has only been made because of the epidemiological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its direct and practical impact on the conduct of business at the UN headquarters. We reiterate that as long as the US maintains its economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which has been tightened even in times of the pandemic, instead of being lifted in response to the international community’s demands, Cuba will continue denouncing this policy in all possible contexts.
This will be the 29th consecutive time Cuba submits its draft resolution against the blockade to the consideration of the United Nations General Assembly, and we are confident this resolution will receive the sustained and overwhelming support of the international community.