Guyana Abstains as UN General Assembly Votes to End US Embargo on Cuba

In this opinion piece, the writer criticises Guyana’s abstention at the UN vote on the U.S. embargo against Cuba, calling it a retreat from the principled foreign policy the country long upheld. The column argues the decision suggests growing deference to Washington and warns that small states risk losing real sovereignty through repeated concessions.

Guyana abstained on a UN General Assembly vote calling for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, while Trinidad and Tobago voted against it and 130 countries supported the resolution. The non-binding vote reflects growing Caribbean and global concern over the sanctions’ impact on Cuba’s shortages of fuel, medicine and food. Former CARICOM leaders, including Guyana’s Donald Ramotar, had urged countries to back Cuba.

Guyana abstained on a UN vote calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba, breaking with its long-standing support for the resolution. The shift comes as Washington pressures countries tied to Havana’s medical programmes and after Guyana ended its Cuban health cooperation arrangement, raising concerns about foreign policy independence and healthcare access.

Former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Dr. Keith Rowley is among 12 former CARICOM leaders backing a letter urging countries to support a UN General Assembly vote to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The signatories called the sanctions illegal and harmful to regional peace, saying the annual vote is especially urgent this year.

Former CARICOM leaders, including Donald Ramotar, have urged countries to back a UN General Assembly resolution on 28 October calling for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba. In an open letter, they said the sanctions are unlawful and harmful to Cuban sovereignty and regional peace. The appeal comes as Caribbean governments face U.S. pressure over ties with Cuban medical workers.