A full agenda of work is underway during her official visit to Cuba by Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, who arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
After her arrival, she met with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío to discuss the blockade and its legal framework, as well as the measures that have intensified it.
Later, at the National Assembly of People’s Power, she held a courtesy meeting with officials, and then exchanged views with leaders of the Central Bank of Cuba and the Ministry of Finance and Prices on the impact of the blockade on the banking and financial sector.
The expert also met with authorities from the Ministries of Domestic Trade, Food Industry, and Agriculture, where they discussed the effects of the blockade on the subsidized food basket, domestic trade, and the food industry.
She concluded the day’s program at the Ministry of Culture, where she learned about the impact of the blockade on that sector.
Through this direct engagement with the various spheres of life in the country, Douhan has the opportunity to assess, firsthand, the impact of the restrictive measures imposed on Cuba by the United States government.
This is her second visit to Cuba; the first was in May 2023, when she participated as a guest in an academic dialogue on the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights in Cuba.
At the event, organized by the University of Havana, the expert delivered a keynote address and held discussions with Cuban authorities, government institutions, and civil society organizations.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
IMAGE CREDIT: Meeting with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío / PRENSA LATINA
