After the November 3, 2022, UN vote overwhelmingly favoring the resolution introduced by Cuba on ending the U.S. blockade, U.S. representative John Kelley took the floor to defend his government’s position. Alleging Washington’s commitment to the well-being of the Cuban people, Kelley tried to justify U.S. policy by charging Cuba with human rights violations, pointing to supposed U.S. aid to the Cuban people, and claiming the U.S. Agency for International Development was poised to send “$2 million in funding for emergency relief to those in need in Cuba.” In a 10-minute rebuttal on the floor of the UN General Assembly, Yuri Gala López, Cuba’s alternate permanent representative to the United Nations, rejected Kelley’s allegations. Gala’s rebuttal follows.

In early November, representatives to the United Nations (UN) debated U.S. policy toward Cuba, and — as they have done every time for the last 30 years — overwhelmingly condemned the decades-long U.S. embargo. Speaking before the UN General Assembly on November 3, Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla presented a resolution titled, “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. Rodríguez explained the toll that the U.S. economic war — in place for more than six decades — takes on the Cuban people. When the resolution came to a vote, 185 UN member states registered their agreement with Cuba. Only two — the United States and Israel — opposed the resolution; two more — Brazil and Ukraine — abstained. The entire speech by Rodríguez follows.

On the last Saturday of October, rallies, marches, and other actions took place in dozens of U.S. cities as well as Canada and other countries. Organizers called these actions to coincide and highlight the annual vote scheduled at the United Nations (UN) for November 3 on a resolution introduced by the government of Cuba. The resolution demands the U.S. government lift its economic, commercial, and financial embargo against the Caribbean nation — what many refer to as the “blockade.” About 100 organizations endorsed the call for these actions. We are publishing here reports from two of the most prominent of these activities — in New York and Los Angeles — that organizers sent World-Outlook.

On the last weekend of September, local coalitions organized car caravans and other actions demanding an end to Washington’s economic war against Cuba. The activities took place in cities across the United States, as well as other countries. Organizers of these actions in two U.S. cities sent World-Outlook the reports that follow.

On September 27, 2022, hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba. Despite Cuba’s well-known preparedness for natural disasters, the damage from this hurricane has been immense. In the western province of Pinar del Rio, famous for its tobacco production, over 5,000 farms were destroyed. In small towns like San Luis, the storm left damaged 80% of all homes. The hurricane affected Cuba’s power grid and the country’s electrical system collapsed. Concerned organizations and activists in the United States issued an urgent appeal, published in the Sunday, October 2, 2022, edition of the New York Times. The appeal demands that Biden temporarily lift sanctions and allow Cuba to purchase urgently needed supplies for reconstruction after Hurricane Ian. We publish here an article about this appeal that appeared in Spanish in the Cuban news publication CubaDebate; CubaNews translated the article and published it into English. We also publish below the text of the appeal to Biden as it appeared in the Times, along with a link on how people can donate to help Cuba’s recovery effort.

On the last weekend of August, local coalitions organized car caravans and other actions demanding an end to Washington’s economic war against Cuba. The activities took place in more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States, as well as other countries. Organizers of these actions in five Canadian and two U.S. cities sent World-Outlook the reports that follow.

Heroic efforts by Cuban firefighters and other emergency personnel, aided by colleagues from Mexico and Venezuela, have brought under control a major fire at a vital oil facility in Matanzas, Cuba, that began August 5. However, as a statement by six North American organizations explains, “A province and country already suffering from acute shortages of medical supplies and power cuts due to the US blockade has now suffered a major further blow.” The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), Global Health Partners, and other organizations have launched an emergency appeal to send badly needed supplies to Cuba, says a statement by these North American solidarity groups, which World-Outlook is republishing here.

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2022 — A diverse crowd, representing more than a dozen organizations, streamed into a meeting here today to raise medical aid for Cuba. The Elliott Cane jazz trio entertained approximately 65 people as they entered the McCarthy Memorial Church in LA’s Black community for the event. Carlos Lazo was the featured speaker. Lazo is a Cuban American, organizer of Puentes de Amor (Bridges of Love), and leader of the international caravan movement demanding an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba. The Los Angeles Hands-off Cuba Committee sponsored the event.