11 former Caribbean leaders urge countries to support UN resolution against Cuba embargo
Key Points(5)
- Eleven former Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government are urging countries around the world to support a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States’ economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.
- In an open letter issued ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote scheduled for Oct.
- 28, the former leaders called on all member states to back the resolution, arguing that the decades-long embargo violates international law and worsens hardship for the Cuban people.
- The appeal comes as the US-imposed embargo marks its 66th anniversary, having been introduced in October 1960.
- “We, the undersigned former heads of state and government of the Caribbean Community, strongly and unequivocally urge all nations to vote in favour of the Resolution on October 28, 2026, at UNGA,” the letter states.
Eleven former Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government are urging countries around the world to support a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States’ economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.
In an open letter issued ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote scheduled for Oct. 28, the former leaders called on all member states to back the resolution, arguing that the decades-long embargo violates international law and worsens hardship for the Cuban people.
The appeal comes as the US-imposed embargo marks its 66th anniversary, having been introduced in October 1960.
“We, the undersigned former heads of state and government of the Caribbean Community, strongly and unequivocally urge all nations to vote in favour of the Resolution on October 28, 2026, at UNGA,” the letter states.
The signatories said the General Assembly has adopted resolutions calling for an end to the embargo every year since 1992, but Washington has continued to maintain the restrictions.
“The vote on this UNGA Resolution this year is more urgent and important than ever before,” they said, accusing the US government of intensifying its measures against Cuba through sanctions targeting third parties that supply or transport energy products, including gasoline and diesel, to the island.
The former leaders described the restrictions as inhumane and contrary to international law, arguing that they undermine Cuba’s sovereignty, independence and human rights.
They also urged countries to resist what they described as US pressure to derail the proposed resolution.
“The US embargo continues to be a threat to hemispheric and international peace and security,” the letter states, adding that the unilateral measures cannot be justified under the United Nations Charter or other sources of international law.
The signatories concluded that Cuba posed no threat to other countries or individuals and called for international support for the resolution.
“Let us all contribute to the healing of the hemispheric fracture between the United States of America and Cuba by supporting the UNGA Resolution on October 28, 2026. Let us all stand with Cuba and humanity on this matter,” they said.
The letter was signed by former Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart; former Belize Prime Ministers Said Musa and Dean Barrow; former Grenada Prime Ministers Keith Mitchell and Tillman Thomas; former Guyana President Donald Ramotar; former St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony; former Jamaica Prime Ministers Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson; former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley; and former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
Six decades of US restrictions
The United States first imposed the embargo against Cuba in October 1960 under President Dwight Eisenhower. President John F. Kennedy strengthened the restrictions in 1962, following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion aimed at overthrowing Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The embargo has remained a major point of contention between Washington and Havana for more than six decades.
Former President Barack Obama eased some restrictions during his administration, but President Donald Trump subsequently tightened several measures.
The latest appeal from the former Caribbean leaders comes amid continued economic difficulties in Cuba, a country of about 11 million people. The embargo has contributed to the island’s economic hardship, alongside other domestic and external factors.
Days before the letter was issued, US media reported that a Florida judge had signed an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 95, over his alleged role in the 1996 shooting down of civilian aircraft.
Raúl Castro, the younger brother of Fidel Castro, led Cuba for a decade before stepping down in 2021. He was succeeded by Miguel Díaz-Canel, the country’s current president.
