Ministry of Foreign Affairs Report Quantifies Damages of U.S. Blockade

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented a report as part of the "Lift the Blockade" campaign, which described the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade as a violation of International Law and the UN Charter. It defined the policy as an act of genocide against the Cuban people and quantified the damages for the period between March 2024 and February 2025.

Report of Cuba pursuant to United Nations General Assembly resolution 79/7, entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” May 2025

The document stated that this policy constitutes the principal obstacle to the country's development, affecting fundamental rights such as peace, economic progress, and the free determination of the Cuban people.

Although not all the difficulties facing Cuban society are attributed exclusively to the blockade, the report underscored that it would be inaccurate to disregard it as the essential impediment to national advancement.

Between March 2024 and February 2025, the total damages amounted to 7.5561 billion dollars, a 49 percent increase over the previous period. This is equivalent to $862,568 for every hour the measures were in effect.

The report illustrated the magnitude of the losses through temporal equivalences:

• Two months of the blockade represented $1.6 billion, funds needed to cover the national electricity demand.

• 16 days equated to $339 million, the amount required for the Basic List of Medicines.

• Six days meant $129 million for medical supplies.

• Two days amounted to $40 million for public transportation.

• Two hours represented $1.4 million for specialized medications.

• Ten minutes were enough to prevent the purchase of hearing aids worth $142,966.

The health sector was one of the hardest hit, with losses of $288.833 million and a 69 percent impact on the availability of medicines from the Basic List. Over 94,000 patients remained on surgical waiting lists, including 9,913 children.

The education sector suffered damages of $89.771 million, which prevented the production of more than two million textbooks and limited the acquisition of wheelchairs and hearing aids for students with disabilities.

Other social sectors such as sports, culture, food, and agriculture also reported multi-million dollar losses, with figures exceeding $932 million in the agricultural sector alone.

Economically, the Gross Domestic Product contracted by 1.1 percent in 2024. Losses due to the geographical relocation of trade amounted to $1.212 billion, while additional costs for freight and insurance reached $1.127 billion.

Cuban exports were harmed to the tune of $2.608 billion, and the inability to acquire spare parts in the U.S. market caused damages of $880.8 million. Furthermore, 40 foreign banks refused to operate with Cuban entities, resulting in an impact of $169.5 million.

The tourism sector recorded losses of $2.528791 billion in services and operations, and $1.1146 billion in exports. The arrival of international visitors decreased by 9.6 percent compared to 2023, while travel by U.S. citizens fell by 11 percent.

The biotechnology sector was also affected, with damages of $129.27 million. The Finlay Vaccine Institute faced the cancellation of 14 purchase operations, and Medsol Laboratories ceased production of three drugs after the German company Harro Höfliger refused to supply spare parts. Furthermore, the inability to export the drug Heberprot-P to the United States prevented nearly $90 million in revenue.

In the energy sector, losses were estimated at $496.075 million, with the National Electric Union (UNE) as the most affected entity. Domestic crude oil production decreased by 138,000 tons, covering only one-third of internal consumption.

Other sectors such as communications, industry, construction, and transport also reported significant damages.

The report highlighted that international rejection of the blockade was expressed at the 79th UN General Assembly, where 47 heads of delegation called for its end and 23 denounced Cuba's inclusion on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Condemnation of this policy was also endorsed at summits of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the African Union, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP), and the Group of 77 plus China.

More than two thousand public events and 1,703 international statements were recorded during the period as part of the "Lift the Blockade" campaign, demonstrating growing worldwide opposition to a unilateral, coercive, and extraterritorial policy that violates the sovereignty of third-party states.