What's happened
UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan reports worsening conditions in Cuba due to US sanctions, citing increased inflation, resource scarcity, and medicine shortages. The UN General Assembly has condemned the embargo for 33 years, but US sanctions remain in place, impacting Cuba's economy and public health.
What's behind the headline?
The UN's renewed criticism underscores the ongoing humanitarian toll of US sanctions on Cuba. Douhan's observations reveal a worsening crisis, with inflation, resource shortages, and medicine deficits impacting vulnerable populations, especially children. The US argues sanctions are necessary for policy reasons, but the global consensus suggests they exacerbate Cuba's economic and health crises. The US's stance, emphasizing legal allowances for food and medicine exports, contrasts sharply with the UN's findings of a humanitarian squeeze. This disconnect highlights the geopolitical tension between US policy and international human rights standards. Moving forward, the continued UN condemnation may pressure the US to reconsider sanctions, but political resistance remains strong. The next steps will likely involve increased diplomatic efforts and potential policy adjustments, though immediate relief for Cuba remains uncertain.
What the papers say
AP News and The Independent both report on Douhan's visit and findings, emphasizing the worsening conditions in Cuba due to US sanctions. AP News highlights her call for the US to lift restrictions, while The Independent adds details on the impact on children and medicine shortages. Reuters provides a broader context, noting the UN's legal and political stance against the embargo and contrasting US government claims that sanctions are not to blame. The articles collectively reveal a global consensus that US sanctions are intensifying Cuba's humanitarian crisis, despite US assertions that they are necessary and legal.
How we got here
Cuba has faced economic hardship since 2020, worsened by COVID-19 disruptions and US sanctions imposed since 1960. The embargo, which restricts trade and financial flows, has been repeatedly condemned by the UN, though the US maintains it as a policy tool. Recent reports highlight deteriorating living conditions and health crises.
Go deeper
Common question
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Why Is the UN Urging the US to Lift Sanctions on Cuba?
The United Nations has recently called for the US to lift sanctions on Cuba, citing worsening living conditions and health crises. Many wonder what impact these sanctions have and why the UN is now urging change. Below, we explore the key questions about US-Cuba relations, the effects of sanctions, and what lifting them could mean for both countries.
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Alena Douhan of Belarus is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, as 25 March 2020.
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Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers from 1976 to 2008.
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Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is a country comprising the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.