The President of the General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa met with Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodriguez, Chargée d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations. Ambassador Rodriguez briefed the PGA on the impact of the United States Administration’s decision to not renew the waiver related to Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton (LIBERTAD) Act.

The President of the General Assembly recalled Resolution 73/8 on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, on 1 November 2018. That resolution expressed concern about the continued promulgation and application by Member States of laws and regulations, such as that promulgated on 12 March 1996 known as “the Helms-Burton Act”, the extraterritorial effects of which affect the sovereignty of other States, the legitimate interests of entities or persons under their jurisdiction and the freedom of trade and navigation.

On that occasion the General Assembly also reiterated its call to all States to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures of the kind referred to in the preamble to the present resolution, in conformity with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law.