During a debate held Tuesday, July 7, at the UN General Assembly requested by Cuba, numerous countries, organizations, and international blocs demanded the lifting of the economic, commercial, financial, and energy blockade imposed by the United States against the island.

Speakers agreed to warn about the intensification of these policies in recent months and detailed the serious humanitarian consequences suffered by the island's population. They denounced how daily life is affected by prolonged blackouts, paralysis of public transport, failures in drinking water distribution due to pump stoppages, and difficulties in preserving food.

They also condemned the impact on vital sectors such as education and public health, noting that hospitals are forced to operate with emergency power plants amid shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and disruptions to vaccination programs.

The African Group joined various voices based on warnings from UN human rights experts and the Secretary General himself, who alerted about a possible "humanitarian sinking" in the Caribbean nation.

Different groups of nations expressed concern over the extraterritorial nature of U.S. sanctions, which violate sovereign rights and hinder trade relations between foreign companies and banks with the island. Interventions criticized the energy siege aimed at cutting fuel supplies — which caused the current electrical crisis — and also demanded the repeal of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act and Cuba's removal from the unilateral list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, described in the session as the most significant obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77 and China — which denounced that the unilateral measures imposed over six decades have caused an "immense catastrophe" for the Cuban people — the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter stated that U.S. coercive policies openly contradict principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention, and peaceful settlement of disputes.

The European Union acknowledged the negative humanitarian impact of U.S. policy on Cuban families in a context of increasingly complex living conditions, reaffirming that the UN Charter should be the guiding framework. Russia's representative described the situation as a policy of illegal pressure against a sovereign nation through financial, logistical, and technological siege, contrasting the severe harm suffered by civilians with the resilience shown by the Cuban economy, and reaffirming his government's solidarity assistance through international organizations to mitigate food insecurity.

Singapore, speaking for ASEAN, stated: "What is at stake is the situation of Cubans. Differences are best addressed through dialogue." The Caribbean Community defended multilateralism and considered that bilateral differences should be overcome through effective diplomatic channels, welcoming recent contacts between Cuba and the U.S. and urging both governments to continue exploring these avenues of rapprochement with urgency and good faith.

Eritrea, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, warned about attempts to build false narratives to justify the use of force, urging the international community to take a clear stance in favor of peace and to prevent any direct military aggression against Cuba, which would have devastating humanitarian consequences and seriously endanger stability and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. Delegations also rejected international campaigns aimed at discrediting Cuban medical cooperation abroad, recognizing the historical work of island health professionals.

The call for debate, titled "Necessity of ending the commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," was supported by 136 votes in the UN General Assembly, overcoming procedural maneuvers and objections presented by the U.S. delegation.

According to figures presented by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez during the session, economic damages caused by the blockade between March 2025 and February 2026 amounted to $8.103 billion at current prices — a 7% increase over the previous period, raising the accumulated impact to $178.7 billion.