ON THE NECESSITY OF ENDING THE ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL EMBARGO IMPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AGAINST CUBA AND THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The ACP Council of Ministers,

– Meeting in Brussels, Belgium from 24 to 25 November 2015:

1. Having examined the Report of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors;

2. Noting the Cuban presentation on the report of the Government of Cuba on the implementation of General Assembly Resolution 69/5 adopted on 28 October 2014 entitled ‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’;

3. Reiterating its support for UN General Assembly Resolution 70/5 of 27 October 2015, entitled ‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’.

4. Having heard the statements from Representatives of ACP countries on the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States;

5. Recognising the expressed will of the President of the United States of America to work for the elimination of the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba;

6. Welcoming the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the Governments of Cuba and the United States of America;

7. Recognizing the significant role played by Cuba in the struggle for freedom and liberation of people from the scourge of colonialism and apartheid;

8. Grateful to the Government and the People of Cuba for the important role they have played in development cooperation with ACP States in particular and in South-South relations in general;

9. Recalling in particular the remarkable interventions of Cuba in the health sectors of various countries, most recently illustrated in the fight against Ebola, which have been critical in complementing other forms of multilateral and bilateral support, including that of the EU and its Member States;

10. Commending the People of Cuba for the resilience demonstrated over the decades-long embargo imposed on them by the US Government;

11. Noting that the United States of America continued to apply illegal economic embargoes against some ACP countries, the extraterritorial impact of which encroached on the sovereignty of these countries and the legitimate freedom to exercise their political and economic rights;

12. Noting that some ACP countries continue to be affected by illegal economic embargoes;

13. Recalling the UN General Assembly Resolution 66/186 of 22 December 2011 entitled ‘Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries,’ in which the General Assembly inter-alia, urged the international community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of coercive economic measures against developing countries, that were or not authorised by relevant organs of the United Nations or were inconsistent with the principles of international law as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and that contravened the basic principles of the multilateral trading system;

14. Reiterates its gratitude to the People and Government of Cuba for their invaluable contribution to the liberation of oppressed people all over the world as well as for their commitment to the development of countries of the South in particular in health systems;

15. Calls upon the international community as a whole to continue to express its support and solidarity to the People of Cuba for the immediate and unconditional lifting of sanctions imposed on Cuba;

16. Expresses its solidarity with the Government of Cuba at this critical moment of its struggle for its economic liberation, development and the wellbeing of the People of Cuba;

17. Calls for the unconditional repeal or invalidation of unilateral and unjustified economic embargoes on other ACP countries to relieve the suffering of the innocent, poor and vulnerable populations of these countries that has been brought about by the sanctions.

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