The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba for a 32nd year after several speakers called for lifting of the blockade on the Caribbean Island nation.
The vote in the 193-member Assembly was 187 in favour, two against (United States and Israel), with Moldova abstaining.
During the two-day debate before the vote, a number of countries pointed out that there is broad and long-standing international opposition to the United States’ economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, with many saying it runs counter to the UN Charter and undermines faith in multilateralism.
The resolution’s full title is: “the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”.
Under its terms, the Assembly voiced concern that despite its resolutions dating back to 1992, “the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba is still in place”, and that “the adverse effects of such measures on the Cuban people and on Cuban nationals living in other countries”.
It recalled measures adopted by then US President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016 “to modify several aspects of the application of the embargo, which contrast with the measures applied since 2017 to reinforce its implementation”.
The General Assembly reiterated its call for all States to refrain from promulgating and applying such restrictive laws and measures, in line with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
In explaining his vote, the US representative said that Washington recognizes the challenges the Cuban people face, but asked the General Assembly to urge the Cuban Government to adhere to its human rights obligations.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion, and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage to demonstrate the isolation of the U.S. in its decades-old efforts to isolate the Caribbean nation.