WorldPosted at: Oct 29 2026 7:38PM


UN General Assembly votes for 34th consecutive year to end US embargo on Cuba

United Nations, Oct. 29 (UNI) The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution calling for an end to the decades-long US economic embargo on Cuba, with 130 countries voting in favor, 17 opposing and 25 abstaining.
The vote marked the 34th consecutive year the assembly has adopted a resolution urging Washington to lift the economic, commercial and financial restrictions on the Caribbean island.
The resolution expressed concern over the extraterritorial effects of US laws, including the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which can affect foreign companies and individuals doing business with Cuba. It urged states to refrain from enforcing measures that infringe on other countries' sovereignty and called on those maintaining such restrictions to repeal or invalidate them.
The vote followed two days of debate during which many countries called for an end to the embargo, citing its impact on Cuba's economy, access to essential goods and prospects for development.
The proceedings were briefly suspended on Tuesday after a heated exchange between U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and members of the Cuban delegation.
Waltz presented photographs that he said showed evidence of corruption in Cuba, prompting Cuban delegates to interrupt and raise a point of order. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez approached the podium and accused Waltz of lying, while the US envoy demanded that the Cuban delegation step back.
The assembly president temporarily suspended the debate before proceedings resumed.
Speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Singapore's representative expressed concern over Cuba's worsening socioeconomic conditions, including shortages of essential medicines and declining food production.
Eritrea, representing the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, condemned the embargo as a prolonged violation of international law and said the Cuban people should be free to determine their own future without external pressure.
Uganda, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, described the tightening of U.S. restrictions as a form of collective punishment. Its representative cited prolonged power outages that have disrupted hospitals, schools, water supplies and food preservation.
Namibia, representing the African Group, highlighted Cuba's historic solidarity with African countries and said the African union had called for the embargo's removal for the 17th consecutive year.
Uruguay, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, criticized restrictions on trade, investment and financial transactions involving third countries, warning that they undermine Cuba's prospects for sustainable development.
Introducing the resolution, titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” Rodriguez rejected the conduct of the US delegation during Tuesday's debate.
“Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat,” he said.
The United States first introduced trade restrictions against Cuba in 1960, following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, and imposed a comprehensive economic, commercial and financial embargo in 1962. The Helms-Burton Act, enacted in March 1996, expanded the embargo's reach by exposing foreign companies to potential legal action over certain dealings involving property confiscated by the Cuban government.
US President Donald Trump's administration has further intensified pressure on Havana.
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