For the 30th consecutive year, Cuba presents the resolution to end the US embargo against the country at the United Nations General Assembly. The US is expected to isolate itself yet again from the global community with a vote against the resolution.
There was also a call to remove Cuba from the US list of sponsors of terrorism at the opening session of the two-day debates taking place in the UN General Assembly.
The US embargo affects all sectors of Cuban society and its economy. These widespread effects have lasted for over six decades. It is a flagrant assault on human rights and the country’s economic development.
It affects the rest of the world in terms of trade and commerce because of its extraterritorial reach. It denies Americans their travel rights and US business interests.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called on the US government to lift the trade embargo against Cuba.
Rodriguez told a press conference in Havana, “The US blockade has caused Cuba losses valued at $3.806 billion between August 2021 and February 2022.”
He also stated that the embargo aggressively targets shipping and insurance companies and banks, preventing access to fuel. The shortages affect the economy and essential services to the population.
There is resounding global support to end the blockade against Cuba. In 2021, 184 countries voted in support of Cuba. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution. Colombia, Ukraine, and Brazil abstained.
According to the most recent report on the effects of the embargo, from August 2021 to February 2022, losses totaled $3,806.5 million. That figure is 49% higher than that reported between January and July 2021, resulting in record losses in just seven months.
At current prices, the total damages amount to $150,410.8 million since the beginning of the embargo.
It affects health care and education, adding to economic damage and drastically reduces the quality of life for Cubans. Between January and July 2021, the Ministry of the Economy reported damage to the health sector totaling $113,498,300.
In the first 14 months of the Biden administration, the losses amounted to $6,364 million, more than $454 million monthly, or $15 million per day.
The US embargo systematically violates the human rights of the Cuban people.
