Italian Youth Organizations Call for Vote Against Blockade of Cuba

The Italian organizations Cambiare Rotta/Young Communist Organization and Student Opposition of Alternative urged their country's government to vote in the United Nations General Assembly against the blockade that the United States maintains today against Cuba.

In a declaration published on the Cambiare Rotta website, both groups called on Italy to maintain its position favorable to the lifting of those measures, ahead of the vote scheduled for next October 28 on the resolution Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.

The text notes that the U.S. sanctions, in force for more than 64 years, hinder the island's economic and social development by limiting its access to markets, resources, and international financial circuits, with consequences for essential sectors such as health, education, and public services.

The organizations highlighted Cuba's advances in education despite economic difficulties, and stressed the free nature of school and university education, as well as state support for training and access to knowledge.

In that sense, they considered the Cuban experience to be a reference for young Italian students and cited Article 73 of the island's Constitution, which establishes the State's responsibility to guarantee opportunities to study at the different stages of life.

The declaration also underscores Cuba's contribution to international solidarity, from its support for anti-colonial struggles in Africa and against apartheid in South Africa to health cooperation in epidemiological emergencies and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It likewise recalled the sending of Cuban medical brigades to Italy in March 2020, in the context of the health emergency, and the current presence of professionals from the island in the Calabria and Molise regions, to whom it attributed an important role in local health services.

In the view of both organizations, the blockade seeks to hinder the exercise of the Cuban people's right to self-determination, recognized by international law and the United Nations Charter.

The document maintains that the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Italy and Cuba demonstrate that the island does not represent a threat to Europe or to the rest of the world.

It also questions whether Rome might modify its historical position on the blockade and attributes that possibility to an eventual subordination to U.S. policy under the administration of Donald Trump.

For this reason, Cambiare Rotta and Student Opposition of Alternative demanded that the Italian executive vote on October 28 in favor of ending the blockade and maintain the continuity of the position defended by the country in previous votes of the UN General Assembly.