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UN Rapporteur Urges US to End Six-Decade Embargo That Is 'Suffocating' Cuban Society

03:59 PM, 11/22/2025
UN Rapporteur Urges US to End Six-Decade Embargo That Is 'Suffocating' Cuban Society

UN special rapporteur Alena Douhan has urged the United States to lift its six-decade unilateral sanctions on Cuba, saying they now affect virtually every aspect of life on the island. She warned the embargo has tightened since 2018 and intensified after Cuba's 2021 re-designation as a "state sponsor of terrorism," contributing to shortages of food, medicine and power and driving skilled workers abroad. Douhan will present a detailed report to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026.

Senior United Nations expert Alena Douhan has called on the United States to lift its unilateral sanctions on Cuba, warning that more than six decades of restrictions are "causing significant effects across all aspects of life."

Douhan described the measures as an "extensive regime of economic, trade and financial restrictions" — the longest-running unilateral sanctions policy in US history. She noted that only the US Congress has the authority to repeal the Cold War–era embargo.

The rapporteur said the sanctions have progressively tightened since 2018 and intensified markedly in 2021 after Cuba was re-designated as a "state sponsor of terrorism." Douhan warned that additional US measures and widespread international over-compliance to avoid secondary sanctions have undermined Cuba's ability to plan and invest for the long term.

She highlighted a range of concrete impacts on daily life: persistent shortages of food and medicine, rolling electricity blackouts and grid collapses, limited access to essential machinery and spare parts, and disruptions to water and other public services. At the same time, accelerating emigration of skilled workers — including medical personnel, engineers and teachers — is further straining public services and the economy.

"The cumulative effect has severe consequences for the enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, food, health and development," Douhan said, stressing that even narrow licences and exemptions have failed to reassure foreign investors because of the risk of sudden policy shifts in Washington.

Douhan also pointed to the strong international consensus in favour of ending the embargo: for the 33rd consecutive year, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution calling for an end to the sanctions — a call the United States has historically resisted.

Appeal and next steps

The rapporteur urged all states and companies to respect international law and to ensure humanitarian considerations guide their actions, calling for cooperation rooted in mutual respect, solidarity and multilateralism. She said over-compliance by third parties amplifies the embargo's effects on ordinary Cubans.

Douhan will deliver a comprehensive report on the human-rights impact of US sanctions on Cuba to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026. The report will draw on consultations with government officials, international agencies, church representatives, academics, medical personnel and members of the private sector.

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UN Rapporteur Urges US to End Six-Decade Embargo That Is 'Suffocating' Cuban Society - CRBC News