The key facts

  • Cuba's Permanent Representative to the UN Ernesto Soberon Guzman condemned the US event scheduled for October 19 under the title 'Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Heights'
  • Guzman called the action a 'political charade' aimed against Cuba and stated that the UN should not be used for political persecution
  • Cuba called on UN members to support the demand to end the economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the US

Cuba Opposes US Event at UN Headquarters

Cuba's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, on Friday, October 16, condemned a planned event organized by the US Permanent Mission to the UN. The event, titled 'Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Heights', is scheduled for October 19 and is to take place at the organization's headquarters in New York.

Statements by the Cuban Permanent Representative

According to Guzman, the event is a 'politically motivated exercise' organized in a dubious manner, and its aim is to 'target Cuba' and promote a hostile narrative against the country, using UN venues to advance the political agenda of the US government against a sovereign state — a member of the organization. He called the planned gathering a 'political charade' and stressed that the UN must not become a platform for political persecution or campaigns that undermine the sovereignty of member states.

Grievances Against the US and Appeal to UN Member States

Guzman also stated that the US government is undermining the organization's financial stability while spending public funds on events that, in Cuba's view, do not correspond to the UN agenda. He assured that Cuba will not yield to pressure: 'Cuba cannot be intimidated, blackmailed or silenced.' The permanent representative called on UN member states to uphold the principles of the organization's Charter, reject 'double standards' and support efforts to end the US economic, trade and financial embargo against Cuba. 'The question before the international community is clear: the US must stop its attacks on Cuba and comply with the repeated demand of the international community to end their illegal and inhumane blockade,' he said.