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Cuba embargo: UN General Assembly votes for the 34th time after heated US-Cuba row

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Update, 29 October 2026: The General Assembly adopted the resolution by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. Read the vote result.

The UN General Assembly opened its annual debate on the US Cuba embargo on Tuesday and member states are due to vote on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, for the 34th time, on a resolution calling for it to end, UN News reported.

Cuba embargo: US Ambassador Mike Waltz addresses the General Assembly debate on the Cuba embargo
US Ambassador Mike Waltz addresses the General Assembly debate on the Cuba embargo Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe via UN News (editorial use with credit).

Cuba embargo vote: what the record shows

The Assembly has called for an end to the embargo, first imposed in 1960, on 33 previous occasions. In the first vote in 1992, 59 countries backed the resolution, three opposed it, 71 abstained and 46 did not vote. Support peaked at 191 votes in favour in 2015, 2016 and 2017, during the thaw under US President Barack Obama. The United States and Israel voted against in 2015 and 2017 and both abstained in 2016. The United States has voted against every year except one. The resolution is not binding, but it is closely watched as a measure of diplomatic opinion. Canada, China and Russia have long voted in favour, while some other countries have shifted position as their governments changed, UN News said. In each of the 33 previous votes, a majority of member states backed the resolution.

Key Facts

  • Vote: 28 Oct 2026, 34th time
  • Embargo first imposed: 1960
  • Peak support: 191 votes (2015, 2016, 2017)
  • US figure cited: $876 million+ exports to Cuba, Jan–Aug 2026
  • 100,000+ surgeries postponed, UN officials said in May

“There is no blockade.”

— Mike Waltz, US Ambassador to the UN

Heated exchange halts the General Assembly debate

On Tuesday, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla interrupted US Ambassador Mike Waltz on a point of order midway through his statement. The exchange escalated into a heated row and the President of the General Assembly briefly suspended the session, which later resumed without further incident. Mr Waltz rejected the premise of the debate, saying Cuba’s crisis was the fault of its own government. “There is no blockade,” he said, pointing to US exports to Cuba he put at more than $876 million in the first eight months of 2026. Mr Rodríguez was due to speak on Wednesday.

Humanitarian concerns and the Helms-Burton Act

The debate comes as the Trump administration has tightened the embargo, which the UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichon, has linked to an energy crisis and possible humanitarian collapse, UN News said. In May, senior UN officials reported that more than 100,000 surgical procedures had been postponed, and the World Health Organization has warned that energy shortages are hurting health. The Cuban-drafted text reaffirms sovereign equality, non-intervention and freedom of trade and navigation, and voices concern over laws such as the Helms-Burton Act of 12 March 1996, whose extraterritorial effects it says undermine other states’ sovereignty. The result of Wednesday’s vote was not available at the time of publishing. Successive UN High Commissioners for Human Rights and independent UN experts have condemned the embargo and other unilateral US sanctions, saying they threaten Cubans’ rights to health, life, food and development. President Donald Trump has also raised the possibility of military intervention in Cuba this year, UN News said.

Why It Matters: The yearly tally is a gauge of global opinion on unilateral sanctions, and this year's debate comes amid warnings of a humanitarian collapse in Cuba.

Also on TrendDesh: United Nations Day: UN marks 81 years as Guterres says it is needed more than ever · Guterres in Egypt warns Iran-US sabre-rattling could push the region out of control

Source: UN News, 27 Oct 2026 · UN General Assembly · UN Meetings Coverage

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