NNOC Statement on 2018 UN Vote Condemning U.S. Cuba policy

 

On November 1, 2018, as it has every year for the past 27 consecutive years, the people of the world, through their representatives at the United Nations, have condemned the United States blockade of Cuba. This year the vote was an overwhelming 189 votes in favor of the Cuban resolution and 2, The United States and Israel, opposed and no abstentions. This year the United States introduced 8 amendments to the resolution criticizing Cuba’s human rights records. Each of these amendments was soundly rejected, with the only support for them from Israel, Ukraine, and one amendment supported by the Marshall Islands.

In his remarks, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the U.S. embargo “a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women.” “The government of the United States doesn’t have the least moral authority to criticize Cuba or anyone when it comes to human rights,” he said. He also accused the U.S. of violating the human rights of its citizens, singling out Afro-Americans, Hispanics, minorities, refugees and migrants.

The vote this year, as in past years, demonstrates the isolation of the United States policy. We join the many nations large and small in offering support for Cuba and rebuke of the United States. We join those nations in thanking Cuba for its solidarity, medical generosity, sharing of its educational and cultural achievements and proof that a just and caring society is possible.

We also thank the NNOC member organizations and individuals who participated in actions and twitter campaigns in support of Cuban sovereignty.

As the United States has just announced new hostile measures against Cuba and also Venezuela and Nicaragua, we announce that our solidarity and friendship with Cuba remains and will remain resolute. We continue the call for the United States to adhere to the wishes of the majority of the U.S. people and lift the travel ban, end the economic blockade, return the illegally occupied land in Guantanamo, and respect our Cuban neighbor.