As announced today at a press conference at the headquarters of the National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI) in Rome, the initiative is promoted by organizations including ARCI, CGIL, Anaic, Nexus, ANPI, ARCS, AOI, and the Peace and Disarmament Network, in collaboration with the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the Green and Left Alliance.
Caravan members spoke at the meeting, where Cuba’s Ambassador to Italy, Jorge Luis Cepero, highlighted the initiative’s importance, the impact of unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US government against the island, and the resilience of the Cuban people.
The large delegation visiting the Caribbean nation until September 30 includes representatives from associations and trade unions, as well as parliamentarians, local officials, and journalists.
Among their demands, they urge the Italian government and European Union leadership to use available diplomatic and political tools to foster dialogue and help remove obstacles preventing the Cuban population from accessing essential goods and humanitarian aid.
Another objective is to raise awareness among these authorities regarding the situation in Cuba caused by the energy blockade that prevents fuel from reaching the island.
According to Marco Papacci, president of the Italy-Cuba National Friendship Association, the mission denounces the unilateral economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States—in violation of international law—which has been in effect for over sixty years and has progressively intensified. He also rejected Washington’s recent coercive measures, which exacerbate an already critical situation by hindering the procurement of supplies, access to markets and international financial systems, and the transport of essential goods and humanitarian aid.
The caravan organizers consider it unacceptable for access to food, medicine, fuel, energy, and humanitarian aid to be used as a tool for political pressure.
“The Cuban people must be able to decide their own future with full autonomy and respect for their right to self-determination,” Papacci emphasized.
The delegation will deliver medicines, school supplies, and solar panels to Cuban institutions—items secured through the solidarity of thousands of people and the “Energy for Life” campaign.
This campaign has already funded numerous solar panel installations at public health, cultural, and educational centers in Havana and the eastern part of the country, benefiting over 800,000 people, he explained.
The ANAIC leader stressed that bringing medicine and energy to Cuba means opening concrete channels for solidarity and cooperation, and helping to break the blockade and the isolation it creates by providing essential goods and services where they are needed.
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