In brief
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba, with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, marking the 34th consecutive annual rebuke. The resolution attacked the 1996 Helms‑Burton Act for its extraterritorial effects and urged all states to repeal or invalidate such measures. A heated exchange between U.S. Permanent Representative Mike Waltz and Cuban officials broke diplomatic decorum during the debate.
The UN General Assembly today adopted a resolution condemning the United States’ embargo on Cuba, with 130 member states voting in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions—making it the 34th consecutive year the resolution has been passed.
The resolution, which targets the 1996 Helms‑Burton Act for its extraterritorial reach, calls on all states to refrain from promulgating or applying laws that impede other states’ sovereign rights, legitimate interests and free trade, and urges those that continue to apply such laws to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible.
During the two‑day debate, a shouting match between U.S. Permanent Representative Mike Waltz and the Cuban delegation erupted. Waltz presented photographs of alleged corruption in Cuba, while Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez repeatedly called Waltz a liar, prompting a fiery exchange that saw the Cuban delegation hammering their table and walking toward the podium.
Other members of the assembly also weighed in; the Singaporean representative warned of a “troubling picture of the worsening socio‑economic situation in Cuba,” noting shortages of essential medicines and a decline in food production.
With the 34th consecutive vote, the resolution underscores a growing consensus that the U.S. embargo continues to violate international law and inflict hardship on the Cuban people.
