The United Nations General Assembly will resume its debate on agenda item 38, “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba,” this Friday, July 10, after 11:00 a.m. The session can be followed live via the UN webcast, while the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs ‘ digital platforms (Cubaminrex) will offer real-time coverage.
The debate was authorized on July 7 with the support of 136 countries, against nine votes against and thirty abstentions, after weeks of diplomatic pressure from Washington to prevent the issue from reaching the plenary.
During the first day, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla denounced that the United States is waging a multidimensional and unconventional war against Cuba that has lasted almost seven decades and has intensified in the last seven months, aggravated by an energy embargo that he described as equivalent to a naval blockade.
The minister presented updated figures: the damages from the blockade between March 2025 and February 2026 amount to $8.083 billion, 7% more than the previous year, while the cumulative impact since the start of the policy reaches $178.7 billion.
The overwhelming support of the international community has been felt through numerous delegations. The representative of Uganda, on behalf of the 121 member states of the Non-Aligned Movement, reiterated the call for the United States to end the blockade, while Namibia condemned the executive order signed on January 29, 2016, by President Donald Trump, which declares a national emergency related to the policy against the island. Several countries have also denounced the threat of direct military aggression against Cuba as a violation of international law.
This Friday’s session continues a process that, according to Cuban media, will pave the way for the annual resolution on the blockade, scheduled for next October.
Source: Radio Taíno
