REPUBLIC OF CUBA
Permanent Mission to the United Nations
315 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016
Press release
Blockade of the United States government against Cuba: A necessary introduction.
New York, September 11 2018. The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States of America against Cuba for almost six decades is the most unjust, severe and prolonged system of unilateral sanctions that has been imposed to any country. It was established on February 3, 1962 by John F. Kennedy –-the 35th president of the United States of America– through executive order 3447. It remains in force and is strictly implemented, being the main obstacle for the development of the Cuban nation.
The damages accumulated by the blockade during almost six decades amount to 933,678,000,000 dollars taking into account the depreciation of the dollar as compared to the value of gold on the international market. At current prices, the blockade has caused damages that can be calculated at over 134,499,800,000 dollars. Only from April of 2017 to March of 2018, it has caused losses to Cuba amounting to 4,321,200,000.
This policy, which is now 56 years old, constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all the Cuban people and qualifies as an act of genocide, in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948. It violates the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, and constitutes an obstacle to international cooperation.
The increase of the negative effects of the strengthening of the blockade in the state economy and the non-state sector of the island, are evident taking into account the serious setback in bilateral relations, imposed by the current government of the United States with the signing of the “National Security Presidential Memorandum on Strengthening the Policy of the United States toward Cuba”, on June 16, 2017 by president Donald Trump; and the return of an aggressive, threatening, disrespectful and conditioning rhetoric from the highest levels of the US government towards the Caribbean nation.
This meant that in November of that same year, the Departments of Commerce, Treasury and State of that country issued new regulations and provisions to comply with said Memorandum; which consequently strengthened the extraterritorial implementation of the blockade and intensified the permanent persecution of Cuban financial transactions and banking and credit operations with Cuba at a global level, causing serious damage to the country’s economy
This policy of economic aggression, together with the promotion of internal subversion, corroborate the objective of the US government to destroy the economic, political and social system freely chosen by the Cuban people, while ignoring the 26 resolutions adopted by the international community within the framework of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and that dictate the end, without any conditioning, of its policy against Cuba and its people.
The imposition of the economic, commercial and financial blockade by the United States against Cuba constitutes the main obstacle to the development of all the potentials of the Cuban economy. It limits the implementation of the country’s National Plan for Economic and Social Development as well as of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. It is the main hurdle for the development of economic, commercial and financial relations between Cuba and the United States and, due to its extraterritorial nature, with the rest of the world.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations
