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The U.S. blockade caused the island over US$5.57 billion in damages from April 2019 to March 2020.
OXFAM International Director to Cuba Elena Gentili on Tuesday called on U.S. President Joe Biden to lift the economic blockade that limits the development of the Caribbean island and its people.
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"We urge Washington to return to the path of normalization of relations with Cuba," Gentili urged after presenting an OXFAM report on the impact of U.S. unilateral restrictive measures on the daily lives of Cuban people.
The White House sanctions "slow down the island's development and relations with other countries. The blockade's removal and a change in U.S. policy toward Cuba are more urgent now than ever. The country is facing an unprecedented crisis due to COVID-19," she said.
The report "Right to Live Without a Blockade: Impacts of U.S. Sanctions on Cuba and their Women" asserts that hostilities against Cuba deepen its economic crisis and hinder access to supplies, medicines, technologies, and basic goods.
Cuba thanks the Friendship Associations, non-governmental organizations and Cubans living abroad for sending medical supplies to support vaccination against # COVID19 in our country.
— EmbaCuba Jamaica (@EmbaCubaJamaica) May 26, 2021
Their solidarity goes beyond the US blockade and natural borders. #StopTheEmbargo #ItsAVirusToo https://t.co/DrofUNCfJ1
"Cuba has put the protection of its people at the center of its fight against the pandemic. The government's efforts to sustain the economy amid the health emergency are incalculable," the official noted.
According to OXFAM, 78 percent of Cuban girls and women were born under the impact of U.S. unilateral measures, which limit the rights won by them in the Caribbean nation.
"If the blockade did not exist, Cuba could increase social protection of those who need it most, guarantee women's rights, and develop the private sector," Gentili concluded.
According to Cuba's Foreign Affairs Ministry, the U.S. blockade caused the island over US$5.57 billion in damages from April 2019 to March 2020.
#Cuba | The Caribbean island expects 2.2 million tourists in 2021. pic.twitter.com/TUn920Q97X
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 21, 2021
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