New York, 24 November 2022. The list of speakers at the United Nations on that week’s Thursday included speeches by the delegations of the Syrian Arab Republic, Colombia, Guyana, Cambodia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, South Africa, Laos, Malaysia, Jamaica, Peru, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Gabon, India, Angola, Panama, Algeria, Congo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Cuba.
The representatives of the main political and regional groups of the world have taken the floor the previous day, after the draft of the resolution exposing the damages caused by this policy between mid-2021 and all of 2022, to speak in favor of lifting this policy.
"This morning at the UN General Assembly, the genocidal blockade against Cuba was discussed. Excellent speeches, solid arguments and heartwarming support. Also, the confirmation that the United States is alone in implementing this sanction policy," wrote the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, about what happened that day.
Once again, the world showed consensus in condemning the multiple ways in which the U.S. policy violates the principles of the United Nations Charter, the international pacts and harms the Cuban people; and demanded the exclusion of the island from the list of sponsors of terrorism.
ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD
Argentina, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called the interference policy as the main obstacle for the development of the Greater of the Antilles.
"CELAC reiterates its rejection of instruments such as the Helms-Burton Act, contrary to international law, which increases intimidation in the field of economic relations and investment, and the constant persecution of the Caribbean country's financial transactions," said the representative of this nation, who also expressed concern about the intensification of coercive measures, particularly the inclusion of Cuba on the list of States sponsoring terrorism.
The 120 member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), represented by Azerbaijan, also raised their voice at the UN, recalling how every year most countries vote in favor of the Cuban resolution, in firm opposition to U.S. unilateral measures.
The NAM denounced the consequences of the fierce harassment of a power towards another country and recalled that more than 240 measures were adopted to tighten the blockade during the administration of Donald Trump.
"Currently, more than 190 nations maintain relations with Cuba, and only the U.S. punishes that country with its foreign policy," the representative of Azerbaijan stressed.
On behalf of the Central American Integration System (SICA), the representative of the Dominican Republic expressed solidarity with Cuba, which teaches the world to share.
Likewise, Singapore spoke on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and pointed out that this is the seventh year that the organization has intervened in the General Assembly urging the United States to immediately lift the blockade against Cuba, since the sanctions affect the welfare, health and development prospects of the Cuban people.
They also hinder humanitarian aid, especially in cases of natural disasters and events such as Hurricane Ian; they hinder world cooperation operations and limit regional relations.
From the Group of 77 + China, a diplomat from Pakistan spoke to reject the extraterritoriality of the blockade and demand the spirit of this international space be respected, in which the same arguments have been put forward for three decades.
Egypt spoke on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an entity that sees the blockade as a threat to the socio-economic development of the Island, with an unjustifiable presence in times of a global pandemic.
Mozambique, representing the African Group, reiterated the commitment of its region with Cuba, for which the application of the Helms-Burton Act constitutes the main obstacle on the way to comply with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
"Cuba has made numerous positive contributions to the well-being of Africa and many other States and peoples of the world over the decades, and, over the past 30 years, the African Group has reaffirmed its full support for this resolution," he recalled.
ALL VOICES COUNT IN THIS BATTLE
The ambassadors of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Mexico said that the international community has been calling for the end of this policy, which Cuba has been facing for more than 60 years in a row.
They recognized that this is an economic aggression, under a framework of maximum pressure, which has an effect similar to that of conventional war, and also affects anyone who tries to have legal relations with the small nation located 90 miles away from Florida.
Mexico described the fact of maintaining the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba as "a continuous disregard of the UNGA resolutions which is unacceptable, in the light of International Law and foreign policy."
In spite of that, Venezuela said, Washington has not managed to dent the socialist and revolutionary nation which continues to renew its spirit of solidarity and cooperation in a selfless manner.
The representative of Honduras emphasized in his speech that the UN was created to guarantee world peace and the self-determination of peoples; and reiterated his concern over the fact that Cuba remains on the list of countries that violate human rights.
Afterwards, Bolivia thanked the Cuban gestures of solidarity, even at the time of the highest peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic showed how fragile we are and the need for global interconnection to overcome the challenges," he said, after describing the blockade as an act of genocide and economic warfare.
Similar criteria was expressed by Trinidad and Tobago, whose diplomat highlighted the sending of a medical brigade, mainly composed of nurses, to help his country in the confrontation with COVID-19.
From the African continent, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea also shared these assessments, praising Cuba's presence in areas such as health, education, sports and culture in that part of the world.
The speaker for China pointed out that the imposition of measures against Cuba limits the country's capacity to effectively develop the 2030 Agenda. Likewise, the blockade is not showing signs of loosening, in spite of worldwide rejection, he stated.
As part of a consistent political position, China called on the international community to speak with one voice to condemn these events.
Its Russian counterpart insisted on the need to resolve international differences without discriminatory practices, demanded the lifting of sanctions without conditions and urged all countries to demand the cessation of this inhumane policy.
Both China and Russia accused the White House of trying to apply the Monroe Doctrine with a global scope to coerce those who do not support its policies, an action that can be labeled as economic terrorism.
The representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) also shared the collective sentiment, denouncing the damages caused by the blockade in the last 60 years, in view of which he declared his solidarity with the Cuban government and its people.
Vietnam, a sister nation, called it an unusual fact that, during these three decades, it has not been possible to get the cruel policy lifted, and called this a a failure of the General Assembly, which brings together most of the nations of the world.
He explained that this blockade reached several levels, and today it is maintained in spite of the disasters that occurred in 2022, such as the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana, the fire at the oil storage facility in Matanzas and the passage of Hurricane Ian.
From Belarus, the diplomat accredited to the UN stated that his nation opposes the use of coercive measures against any nation, because they are aimed at causing maximum economic damage and damaging the government's image.
Other nations such as Kenya, Vietnam, Syria, Colombia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Philippines and Dominica also expressed their rejection of the blockade and firmly demanding its immediate lifting in their speeches.
Source: Granma