International Coalition Urges UN to Oppose Cuban Regime's Embargo Resolution

An international coalition of Cuban democratic forces and civil society organizations issued a formal appeal on Wednesday in Miami, urging democratic nations worldwide to vote against—or at least abstain from—the annual resolution that the Cuban regime will present to the UN General Assembly concerning the U.S. embargo. The vote is scheduled for October 27 and 28.

The event took place at 11:00 a.m. at the headquarters of the Cuban Democratic Directorate in Miami. It was organized by the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC) and the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) as part of the Liberation Accord.

The document released has garnered over 1,000 endorsements, with more than 550 signatures collected through a digital platform. These come from activists in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, and Guantánamo, as well as from those in exile in countries like the United States, Spain, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, and Germany.

José Daniel Ferrer, the founder of UNPACU, highlighted in a social media video that "the letter now has nearly 600 signatures from opposition leaders both inside and outside Cuba" and is "addressed to all democratic countries, to all delegations" participating in the vote.

Ferrer directly pointed out the coalition's core argument: "We are asking for a vote against this resolution because it is riddled with falsehoods and lies, blaming the United States for what is solely the fault of the Cuban regime."

The ARC's statement describes it as an "insult to the respectability of the United Nations to put to vote a demonstrably false resolution," referring to the preamble of the Cuban text that invokes the "need to end the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba."

The coalition also criticizes the propaganda use the regime makes of this vote: "Its approval has been portrayed to the Cuban people as proof of the global support for the dictatorial regime that oppresses them and as a political victory against the United States," the statement warns.

The coalition challenges participating countries directly: "Do these nations agree with the Castro regime's interpretation of their vote on the resolution?"

To support their argument, the ARC points out that between January and July 2026, the United States exported approximately $674 million in goods to Cuba, including nearly $157 million in fuels, a figure that starkly contradicts the official narrative of a "total blockade."

Ferrer was even more assertive in denouncing the legitimacy of the text: "One cannot vote in favor of that resolution. Because in addition to being false, it is promoted by a regime that is not only an enemy of the Cuban people, of their rights and freedom. It is an enemy of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the market economy across the continent and the world."

This appeal comes amid a noticeable decline in international support for the Cuban resolution: in October 2025, the resolution was approved with 165 votes in favor, seven against, and 12 abstentions, marking the lowest level of support in years.

In July 2026, when the regime called for an urgent extraordinary debate on the embargo, the vote to authorize that debate garnered only 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions—double the number from the previous year—indicating a progressive weakening that Havana tried to present as a victory while hiding the increase in abstentions.

The annual resolution on the embargo, presented uninterruptedly since 1992, is non-binding: it expresses the majority stance of the member states but does not legally oblige Washington to change its policy, which can only be altered by the U.S. Congress.

The 2026 vote is set for October 27 and 28, and the coalition particularly addresses its appeal to the European Union and its member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin American democracies.