WHEN Joe Biden was running for president four years ago, he promised to reverse the 243 extra sanctions imposed against Cuba by the Trump administration. To his shame, as his term comes to an end, almost all are still in place. 

Most damaging to the Cuban economy and the daily lives of the Cuban people is the continued designation of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” (SSOT). Keeping Cuba on this spurious US list is immoral, vindictive and politically motivated, with devastating economic and social consequences.

Contract cancellations, loss of ties with banks that have worked with Cuba for years, delays in sending and receiving funds, medicines, materials, fuel, spare parts … are just some of the difficulties that Cuba has faced and is facing. The costs to the Cuban economy and people are incalculable.

Jeffrey Sachs, the renowned US economist, UN special adviser on Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development expert, was in Cuba recently and spoke about the impact of the blockade and placing Cuba on the SSOT list, an act he described as “completely preposterous.”

“Sanctions are more deadly in Cuba that they are in other countries because they have been longer-lasting for Cuba … they’ve had a pernicious effect over many decades.

“Politicians or those who say ‘oh, it’s the fault of the Cuban government, oh, it doesn’t have any effect,’ well that’s absurd. If it doesn’t have any effect, lift it! The reason that they keep it on is that they know that it hurts and that’s actually really sadistic. The US policy is based on hurting Cuba and hurting Cubans.

“It’s important to say that the Cuban government has done an exceptionally good job of addressing social needs, the needs for nutrition, for schooling, for healthcare, despite the US blockade … it has been resilient for a long time in this but a lot of prosperity depends on trade, on finance, on tourism, on connectivity. There are limits to what the government can do on its own,” says Sachs.

Like many countries, Cuba is suffering from the world economic crisis and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. But uniquely, it must also contend with an ongoing blockade tightened by inclusion on the SSOT list.

There’s no court where Cuba can appeal this injustice. But it is bearing down — even on the Cuban health service where there is urgent medical need.

In June 2021, International Development agency Oxfam blasted US Cuba policy, stating that “seeking to provoke hunger, especially during a global pandemic is unjust and immoral.” 

The pandemic laid bare existing shortages in the health sector as Cuba had to focus all its limited resources on developing and producing its own vaccines. In September 2023, during a United Nations debate on the impact of sanctions on health, the blockade was condemned directly for contributing to a rise in deaths.

Worryingly this is affecting Cuba’s impressive health indicators. For example, the infant mortality rate which was one of the lowest in the western hemisphere, has increased from five deaths per 1,000 births to 7.5 per 1,000 in last three years — some of this can be put down to Covid-19, but medical shortages without doubt have contributed.

Recent Cuba Solidarity Campaign delegations to Cuba have heard how Cuban health workers have to sterilise and reuse surgical gloves and syringes two or three times. This is the context in which the Cuba Vive medical aid appeal was launched earlier this year.

CSC’s fundraising target for Cuba Vive is £100,000. Thanks to donations from CSC members, eight Unison regions, as well as Aslef, FBU, NEU, RMT, Unite nationally, and many other regions and branches  across the trade union movement, we have already raised more than £90,000 so we are well on our way to achieving this. This continues the legacy of the amazing solidarity and bonds between the British trade union movement and Cuba. 

From the practical solidarity which saw reconditioned ambulances sent from all over Britain to help Cuba weather the economic crisis during the “special period” 25 years ago, to the steadfast and unified political campaigning for the freedom of the Miami Five more recently.

We will be celebrating and updating people on the medical appeal at a special North West Cuba Vive Rally and fundraiser at The Casa in Liverpool on Monday September 23 from 6pm with the Cuban ambassador, MPs, trade union leaders and films on Cuba’s internationalism.

It is equally important that the Cuba Vive appeal is not seen as being about charity. Raising money in solidarity in this difficult time is important, but we also need to celebrate the successes of the Cuban health system, internationalism and what could be achieved without the blockade. 

This is why we mention the impact of Cuba’s inclusion on the SSOT list in all our fundraising and are running the appeal together with the #OffTheList campaign which calls on people to sign an open letter to the US ambassador.

By supporting this campaign and appeal, you are not only supporting Cuba but supporting Cuba’s ability to continue its internationalism: whether it be sending more than 4,000 health workers to help fight Covid-19 in more than 40 countries during the pandemic, or the 250 Palestinian students currently training as doctors in Havana at no cost to the Palestinian people.

These are incredibly hard times for Cuba. The island is facing the toughest sanctions, the worst shortages and the most concerted intervention campaign from the US.

What other country could survive US sanctions as long as Cuba? Its achievements are that much more impressive because for more than six decades it has suffered blockade and aggression from successive US governments.

Whatever the outcome of this November’s US presidential elections, the blockade will continue to cause suffering to the Cuban people. They deserve our solidarity for the resistance they have shown for more than 60 years.

Kevin Courtney is chair of CSC and former joint general secretary of the NEU. He will be speaking in Brighton at the TUC Congress fringe meeting, End the Blockade on Health on Monday September 9. Full details of this and the Cuba Vive Rally in Liverpool on September 23 at www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk.