U.N. vote against U.S. blockade of Cuba: 187-2

New York City

In an overwhelming show of international solidarity, the world demanded an immediate end to the criminal U.S. economic and financial blockade of Cuba. Following two days of solidarity speeches by representatives of 50 countries, mostly from the Global South, and then by a vote of 187-2, with only the U.S. and Israel voting against it, the United Nations General Assembly for the 31st time approved a resolution calling for an end to the blockade.

Speaker after speaker thanked Cuba for its international solidarity — for both providing their countries with needed doctors and other medical assistance through the Henry Reeve International Brigades, and training their doctors and health professionals free of charge at the Latin American School of Medicine. Many speakers expressed that without Cuba’s assistance, thousands of lives would have been lost.

The vote followed a speech by Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla describing the economic and physical harm that the Cuban people have suffered as a direct result of the blockade. He described actual examples of children having to go without needed medications and surgeries due to Cuba’s inability to obtain medicine and medical equipment — not only from the U.S., but from third-party countries that face sanctions from the U.S if they trade with Cuba. 

Rodríguez Parrilla further demanded that Cuba be removed from the U.S. State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has blocked Cuba from trading in the world’s financial system, denying the socialist country credit and raising the prices Cuba has to pay for essential items such as food and medicine.

Rodríguez Parrilla forcefully demanded an immediate end to the U.S. and Israel’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza and all of Palestine.