00:00Let's listen to Namibia at this hour on behalf of the African group.
00:04Group 77 China and the non-aligned movement.
00:11For more than three decades, this assembly has called by an overwhelming majority for an end
00:21to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba.
00:26The African group has joined that call every year.
00:33In July, the assembly agreed to reopen this item in an additional debate in recognition
00:41of how gratefully the situation had deteriorated, and we return to it today with that concern undiminished.
00:51Mr. President, the past year has brought further hardships to the Cuban people.
00:58Cuba's latest report to the Secretary General describes damage to the economy on a scale not seen before,
01:06with the heaviest effects felt in the energy supply, health care, food production, and transport.
01:15Restrictions on fuel have led to prolonged power cuts across the island.
01:22In essential services, hospitals among them have struggled to function.
01:29The Secretary General has voiced concern in the humanitarian situation, and the African group shares it.
01:39The group is also concerned at the extraterritorial reach of these measures.
01:47Banks and companies in third countries, African ones among them, face difficulties in conducting lawful trade and financial operations with
02:01Cuba.
02:03Such effects sit uneasy with the rules of international law that govern trade among states and with the 2030 Agenda
02:14for Sustainable Development,
02:16which this assembly has adopted.
02:19Mr. President, the position of Africa on this question is settled at the highest level.
02:26In February 2026, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union renewed for the 17th consecutive
02:37year its call for the lifting of the embargo
02:41and again expressed concern at Cuba's inclusion on the list of states alleged to sponsor terrorism.
02:51The African group supports the removal of Cuba from that list.
02:57Our solidarity rests on a long history.
03:01Cuba stood with the peoples of Southern Africa in their struggle for liberation and contribution,
03:08recalled that gratitude in the independence of Namibia and the end to apartheid.
03:15Cuban doctors worked beside West African health workers during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and Cuban medical brigades and teachers
03:30continue to serve across our continent,
03:33where many Africans have also been trained in Cuban universities.
03:38The African group reaffirms its full respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of the Republic on Cuba
03:48in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
03:52We believe that differences between states are best resolved through dialogue on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect,
04:01and we would welcome renewed engagement between Cuba and the United States of America to that end.
04:08Mr. President, the African group will vote in favor of the draft resolution and encourages all members of this August
04:20House to do likewise.
04:23We call once more for the lifting of the embargo in its entirety so that the people of Cuba may
04:31pursue their development in peace and dignity.
04:37The African group will remain steadfast in its solidarity with the people and the government of Cuba,
04:44and I thank you on that, and I thank you on that, Mr. President.
04:46Now, Mr. President, allow me to deliver the following statement in my national capacity.
04:55Mr. President, Namibia welcomes the convening of this meeting and the opportunity to address an issue that has remained before
05:07this assembly for far too long.
05:09Mr. President, the economic, the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed on the people of Cuba.
05:17Namibia aligns itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the African group and the non-aligned movement,
05:24as well as that of the group of 77 and China.
05:28For decades, the Cuban people have endured devastating consequences of a policy that restricts their access to essential goods,
05:36constraints, constrains development, and imposes hardships on ordinary families.
05:43Namibia reaffirms its steadfast solidarity with the government and the people of Cuba
05:47and calls for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the embargo
05:52and the termination of unilateral coercive measures against Cuba.
05:58This issue is not merely a matter of economic policy.
06:02It is a matter of human rights and dignity.
06:08Restrictions affecting medicines, medical equipment, fuel, and other essential supplies
06:14place an additional burden on the Cuban population.
06:18Namibia therefore calls for an end to the energy siege against Cuba
06:23and urges the removal from the unilateral list of states designated as sponsors of terrorism.
06:34Mr. President, the effects of unilateral coercive measures extend beyond countries targeted.
06:42They disrupt legitimate trade, restrict financial transactions,
06:49and adversely and unfairly affect third states, businesses, and individuals.
06:56These extraterritorial effects undermine international cooperation
07:01and create further obstacles to achieving the SDGs.
07:06More fundamentally, unilateral coercive measures are genocidal.
07:13They undermine unilateralism, disregard the sovereign equality of states
07:19and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
07:23By replacing dialogue with pressure and cooperation with punishment,
07:29we weaken confidence in the international law system and the multilateral system.
07:35In this regard, Namibia welcomes the General Assembly's decision in June 2025
07:42to designate the 4th of December as the International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures
07:49aimed to raise awareness of their humanitarian, economic, and social consequences
07:56and to reaffirm the need for international relations grounded in international law.
08:05Mr. President, Cuba's painful experience demonstrates the human cost of prolonged economic isolation.
08:13Behind every disrupted shipment, delayed payment, and blocked transaction
08:19are people whose lives and livelihoods are affected.
08:24The consequences are felt by patients, families, and communities struggling to access essential goods and services.
08:36The Cuban people deserve to live in dignity and to pursue their development aspirations
08:43free from the burden of this prolonged blockade.
08:48Since 1992, this General Assembly has consistently called for an end to the embargo against Cuba.
08:59The continued disregard of these resolutions undermines the collective will of member states
09:05and erodes the credibility of the United Nations.
09:08Namibia calls for the renewed international efforts to translate these resolutions into concrete action.
09:18Differences between states must be addressed through dialogue, diplomacy, and good faith engagement,
09:26not through measures that inflict hardships on ordinary people.
09:32Respect for sovereignty, independence, and non-interference must remain the foundation of international relations.
09:45Mr. President, this General Assembly cannot stand idle and watch the suffering of the people of Cuba indefinitely.
09:55For how long this institution was created to address such injustices and it behoves on all of us to respond
10:05to such injustices perpetuated in the eyes of the world.
10:11In conclusion, Mr. President, Namibia stands in solidarity with Cuba and calls for the United States to lift the embargo
10:20and engage Cuba in a meaningful bilateral dialogue based on mutual respect and respect for the sovereignty and independence of
10:32Cuba.
10:33It is time to end this isolation and to choose cooperation over confrontation and solidarity over silence.
10:44I thank you, Mr. President.
