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UN Human Rights Spokeperson Marta Hurtado concerns over Cuba’s deepening economic crisis
“We are extremely worried about Cuba’s deepening socio-economic crisis – amid a decades-long financial and trade embargo, extreme weather events, and the recent U.S. measures restricting oil shipments,” said Marta Hurtado UN Human rights spokesperson. “This is having an increasingly severe impact on the human rights of people in Cuba.”
“Given the dependence of health, food, and water systems on imported fossil fuels, the current oil scarcity has put the availability of essential services at risk nationwide,” Hurtado told reporters at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
“Intensive care units and emergency rooms are compromised, as are the production, delivery, and storage of vaccines, blood products, and other temperature-sensitive medications,” she said.
“In Cuba, more than 80 percent of water pumping equipment depends on electricity, and power cuts are undermining access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene,” the spokesperson said. “The electricity cuts also affect communications and access to information.”
She added that “the long-term, sustained impact of sectoral sanctions creates economic hardship and weakens the State's capacity to fulfill its core responsibilities, including providing protection and assistance services”.
“This increases the risk of fueling social disruption in Cuba.”
“The State, for its part, needs to ensure it is prepared to respond in accordance with international human rights law, being attentive to the needs of the most vulnerable and prioritizing mediation, de-escalation, and the safeguarding of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression for all,” Hurtado stated.
“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterates his call on all states to lift unilateral sectoral measures, given their broad and indiscriminate impact on the population. Policy goals cannot justify actions that in themselves violate human rights,” she said.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva:
Marta Hurtado: +41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share - X: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado on the human rights impacts of Cuba’s socio-economic crisis
TRT: 02:26
SOURCE: OHCHR /UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 13 February 2026 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Interior shots: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are extremely worried about Cuba’s deepening socio-economic crisis – amid a decades-long financial and trade embargo, extreme weather events, and the recent U.S. measures restricting oil shipments. This is having an increasingly severe impact on the human rights of people in Cuba.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Given the dependence of health, food, and water systems on imported fossil fuels, the current oil scarcity has put the availability of essential services at risk nationwide.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Intensive care units and emergency rooms are compromised, as are the production, delivery, and storage of vaccines, blood products, and other temperature-sensitive medications.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “In Cuba, more than 80 percent of water pumping equipment depends on electricity, and power cuts are undermining access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The electricity cuts also affect communications and access to information.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The long-term, sustained impact of sectoral sanctions creates economic hardship and weakens the State's capacity to fulfill its core responsibilities, including providing protection and assistance services. This increases the risk of fueling social disruption in Cuba.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The State, for its part, needs to ensure it is prepared to respond in accordance with international human rights law, being attentive to the needs of the most vulnerable and prioritizing mediation, de-escalation, and the safeguarding of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression for all.”
- Cutaways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterates his call on all states to lift unilateral sectoral measures, given their broad and indiscriminate impact on the population. Policy goals cannot justify actions that in themselves violate human rights.”
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The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
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Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
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ends