Cuba Calls on UN to End Unilateral Coercive Measures

Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, urged the United Nations to end unilateral coercive measures and attempts at destabilization that violate international law, stating that peace and development demand such action.

He cited the decades-long U.S. embargo against Cuba as a prime example, as well as the current deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean, which he described as an attempt to justify and pretext military action against Venezuela. Rodríguez made these remarks during the G20 Ministerial Meeting, part of the High-Level Segment of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session.

He also emphasized that “lasting global peace that promotes development requires an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestine.”

The Cuban diplomat further stressed the urgent need for a profound reform of the international financial system, which he described as unsustainable, undemocratic, and opaque. “The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank continue to apply colonial-style prescriptions, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and inequality,” he highlighted.

Rodríguez, who leads Cuba’s delegation to this High-Level Segment, thanked South Africa for continuing the G20’s engagement with UN member states, “a path initiated with vision by Brazil.”

He recalled that the G20 was created as a promise of global cooperation, but warned that the current international order continues to favor a few countries while marginalizing the majority.

The Cuban foreign minister also pointed out that while commitments to Official Development Assistance are being abandoned, $2.7 trillion is spent annually on military expenditures.

He called on the G20 to implement the agreements reached in the Sevilla Commitment, particularly the launch of an intergovernmental process within the United Nations to close structural gaps in the global debt architecture.

Rodríguez added that the main international forum for economic cooperation among the world’s 20 largest economies “could and should promote a new international economic model.”

He expressed support for South Africa’s call for a paradigm shift and the implementation of practical solutions to advance the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, “in the spirit of Ubuntu.”

Concluding his remarks, the head of the Cuban delegation to the High-Level Segment stated, “In such a complicated, uncertain, and dangerous international context, every minute can be an opportunity or a failure. Let us choose wisely.”