Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, denounced before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) the negative effects of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the Cuban people’s right to food.
During her virtual address to the Biennial Panel on Unilateral Coercive Measures of the 60th session of the UNHRC, Rodríguez Camejo noted that between March 2023 and February 2024, the damage to the Cuban agri-food sector caused by this hostile US policy exceeded $441 million.
The Cuban diplomat explained that the restrictions imposed by Washington hinder the acquisition of essential inputs such as fertilizers, agricultural machinery, fuels, and technologies, in addition to limiting access to international financing for rural development and climate resilience programs.
At the event, which was attended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and Special Rapporteurs Alena Douhan and Michael Fakhri, Rodríguez Camejo reiterated Cuba’s call for an immediate and unconditional end to the US blockade, which she described as “a massive and systematic violation of human rights.”
The deputy foreign minister highlighted the Cuban state’s efforts to guarantee equitable access to food through the implementation of the Food Sovereignty Law and urban agriculture programs, with the cooperation of the World Food Program.
“Cuba will continue to defend its right to live without a blockade, to produce its own food, and to build a fair, sustainable, and supportive development model,” the deputy foreign minister stated in her remarks. The speech is published in its entirely on the official website of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS (ACN) ]
