Penda Naanda, the African nation’s Permanent Representative to the UN, noted that the UNGA has been examining this issue since 1992, consistently adopting resolutions calling for an end to this policy—resolutions that have been ignored. He argued that it is time for greater international effort to ensure their implementation.

“Respect for sovereignty, independence, and non-interference must serve as the compass for international relations. This General Assembly cannot stand idly by while the people of Cuba continue to suffer. How much longer will this injustice persist? This institution was established precisely to address such injustices,” he stated.

He emphasized that the blockade undermines the daily lives of the Cuban people; therefore, its removal is not merely a political or economic matter—it is also a question of human rights and dignity.

He added that restrictions affecting medical equipment, medicines, basic supplies, and fuel place an enormous burden on the population. He called for an end to the energy-related siege and demanded that Cuba be removed from the unilateral list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism.

The representative from Namibia pointed out that the impact of these unilateral coercive measures extends beyond the targeted nations; they hinder lawful trade, restrict financial transactions, and unfairly affect third-party countries, businesses, and individuals as well.

These extraterritorial consequences clash with international cooperation and create additional obstacles to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, he added, emphasizing that “unilateral coercive measures are genocidal in nature; they trample upon the sovereignty and equality of States, as well as the United Nations Charter.”

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