AROUND November 7 the United Nations general assembly will vote for the 28th consecutive year on the resolution tabled by Cuba calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of the island.

As usual, the world will not be surprised when the US opposes the motion, ignoring the overwhelming majority of countries who call each year for an end to this “genocidal” policy. Last year 189 countries voted to end the blockade.

Cuba’s motion is backed by a detailed 50-page report that illustrates the devastating impact of the US policy on the daily lives of the Cuban people.

At the same time it sets out a myriad of US measures designed to stop countries, companies and individuals across the globe from trading with the increasingly beleaguered island. The ongoing impact on British-Cuban relations is devastating. The full report can be read here bit.ly/UNBlockadeReport2019.

The report shows that Cuba’s economy lost $4.3 billion in the last 12 months alone, with total losses in the last six decades amounting to more than $922bn.

The report emphasises the “social impact” of the blockade, which hinders every sphere of Cuban society, including the healthcare, education, sports, cultural, and IT sectors  as well as construction, the biopharmaceutical industry, tourism, communications, industrial development, the energy sector and banking.