A Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and the speeches of the final 16 speakers, are the highlights today at the UN General Assembly.

The security perimeters in New York City have now been removed, following stressful moments with traffic, detours, and checkpoints. While vehicular traffic remains a fundamental problem here, the situation is now calmer.

At the headquarters of the multilateral organization, where the High-Level Segment of the 80th session of the General Assembly has been taking place since last Tuesday through this Monday, things are also quieter. The buzz of journalists has vanished, and accessing the facilities is now less complicated.

These have been days marked by the presence of nearly 90 Heads of State, 43 Heads of Government, hundreds of meetings, and countless speeches in more than twenty languages.

Throughout this week, speakers addressed the UN's 80th anniversary amidst its great challenges, sanctions on Iran, the war in Ukraine, and climate change, but most of all, there was extensive discussion on Gaza and the Palestinian State.

This Monday, 16 speakers are scheduled to take the podium of the General Assembly. The program is set only for the morning session. The speeches will begin with Eritrea, and the final speaker will be the representative of Timor-Leste.

In the case of Cuba, there have been at least 38 mentions so far "on the need to lift the long-standing economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the US government on the largest of the Antilles."

Bruno Rodríguez, the Foreign Minister who heads the Cuban delegation to this segment, reiterated in his speech on Saturday "the support for Palestine," denounced "the threats looming over Venezuela due to the dangerous US military deployment in the Caribbean," and also addressed "the impact of the embargo."

He also touched upon "the external debt crisis," the consequences of global warming, especially for developing nations, and rejected "the slanders against the island's medical cooperation," among other topics.

One of the most notable speeches regarding Cuba was that of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. She stated, "Cuba has always been a source of support for many in the world in times of conflict, health crises, and colonial resistance, especially in Africa."

However, she noted, "Cuba has paid a high price for insisting on its right to self-determination."

"Barbados reiterates its call for an end to the embargo and for Cuba's removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. It is unjust.”

The assembly has witnessed similar pronouncements since its opening on Tuesday, September 23rd. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first Head of State to speak at the podium.

In his remarks, he labeled "the inclusion of Cuba on Washington's unilateral list of so-called state sponsors of terrorism as unacceptable."