The blockade against Cuba is the longest-lasting and most comprehensive and complex system of unilateral coercive measures ever imposed against any country in history. From March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, the material damages and losses caused by the blockade to Cuba were estimated at USD 7,556,100,000 (over 7.5 billion), which represents a 49 per cent increase on the previous period. This increase is a direct consequence of the tightening of the policy of suffocation and financial persecution against Cuba aimed at undermining the economy, affecting development, hindering international trade activity and preventing the arrival of essential supplies for the people.
The cumulative damage for over six decades amounts to USD 170,677,200,000 (170.6 billion). Taking into account the value of the dollar against the price of gold at the international market, the blockade has caused quantifiable damages estimated at USD 2,103,897,000,000 (2.1 trillion).
There is not a single sector of Cuba’s social and economic life that escapes the effects of the blockade. The majority of the Cuban population has been born and lived under the constant siege of this criminal policy, which directly affects their well-being, quality of life and rights.
In the sphere of culture alone, the blockade significantly restricts the possibility to promote, publicize and market Cuban talents, further hindering the search for market niches and business opportunities. Consequently, sales prices are depressed and access to and enjoyment of Cuban art all over the world is hampered. During this period, the quantified impact on this sector amounts to USD 195,095,600 (195 million).
Here are some examples of how the blockade has affected the culture sector this last year:
- The blockade hinders access to technologies for the production of digital books, hampering their promotion and sale, since many digital platforms cannot be used from within the country, and online stores that establish contractual relationships directly with a Cuban company are exposed to sanctions.
- Cuban orchestras and musicians are directly affected by the blockade, which prevents them from accessing the US market. If the blockade did not exist, at least ten Cuban orchestras could tour the US annually, generating approximately USD 3 million in revenues.
- The extraterritorial implementation of the blockade has made it difficult to exchange royalty payments between the Cuban Music Copyright Agency (ACDAM) and foreign societies, as banking institutions in several countries have refused to process financial transactions with the Cuban entity Banco Financiero Internacional (BFI).
- Cuba’s Recording and Music Publishing Company (EGREM) cannot sell its productions directly on the US market. It depends on intermediaries located in the US or in third countries. In addition to that, the bank accounts of EGREM and its potential partners in that country are subject to continued persecution, forcing the company to resort to intermediaries in third countries. This leads to increased costs and delays in negotiation processes.
- Cuban artists find it difficult to obtain visas and participate in international events, such as the Latin Grammys and other music festivals in the US. In 2024, they were unable to participate in major competitions, affecting their careers and the publicizing of their talent.
- Due to the shortage of raw materials, a large number of book titles – as many as 950 – have accumulated and are yet to be published. This has had an incalculable cost in cultural and scientific terms, since the publishing plans for the period from 2020 to 2024 have not been met. Besides, the average amount of sales that failed to be accomplished due to this situation amounts to approximately USD 3,770,833.
- Traditional suppliers in the portfolio of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry) now require only letters of credit confirmed by foreign banks as a method of payment. The cost they take up in terms of the country risk entails an additional increase of up to 50 per cent in import prices, only for carrying out commercial transactions with Cuba.
- Since 2023, the Latin American Literary Agency, which is part of the Cuban Book Institute, had signed a contract with the Mexican television network Televisa for the renewal of the film adaptation of Félix B. Caignet’s work entitled ‘Morir por Vivir’ (To Die for Living). However, Televisa subsequently joined forces with the US television network Univision, which is not allowed to make payments to the Cuban agency. For this reason, payment remains outstanding.
- The Japanese agency UniJapan has signed a contract for the publication of “Cuentos Completos” (Complete Short Stories) by the famous Cuban author Virgilio Piñera. In February of this year, the agency reported that it had not been possible to make the payment due to financial restrictions imposed on Cuba. The contract was signed for an amount of 2,916 USD, which is still pending collection.
- The website Spotify, which accounts for 80 per cent of the streamings generated by Cuban music catalogs and is the main platform for music consumption, is a store that Cuba cannot access for the purpose of monitoring its operation and creating profiles of its artists, which impacts on the promotion of Cuban culture internationally.
The economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the US government against Cuba constitutes a unilateral, coercive and extraterritorial policy that violates international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It undermines the Cuban people’s right to peace, development and self-determination. It is a massive, flagrant, and systematic violation of their human rights. It undermines the Cuban economy and directly affects the well-being of the population. It makes no distinction between social sectors or economic actors. It restricts the constitutional rights of US citizens and violates the sovereignty of third countries by imposing extraterritorial sanctions. It is a cruel policy of punishment.
Taken from Cuba’s Report under United Nations General Assembly resolution 79/7 “Necessity of ending the economic commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba May 2025 – to be voted on by the UNGA in October 2025.
Every year for the last 32 years the UNGA has voted on the resolution condemning the blockade in Cuba’s favour.
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