- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2198
Rally in support of Cuba, New York, NY. Photo: – pexels.com (CC0)
The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly in favour of debating US sanctions on Cuba.
In a heated session on 7 July, the Assembly voted on the matter, with 136 nations in favour, 9 against, and 30 abstaining. Showing shameful obedience to the US government, Australia abstained.
During the debate, the US Ambassador to the UN complained that “communism never worked,” avoiding the question of why his government is preventing a socialist state from obtaining basics such as oil and medicine.
The Ambassador for the Group of 77 spoke up against the US blockade, citing deep harms on agriculture, public health, trade and banking. The G77 is a coalition of developing countries which represents 80 per cent of the world’s population.
Cuba responded to the US hysteria by condemning the blockade and describing it as an act of collective punishment. Cuba’s ambassador Rodriguez Parilla drew attention to preventable deaths which occurred due to the lack of equipment and power.
Parilla said that “the United States is spreading the lie that the blockade is not aimed at the Cuban people. Ask the people of Cuba whether or not they are suffering because of the blockade.”
In 2025, 165 UN Member states voted to call on the US to urgently lift its decades-long blockade of Cuba.
