\n
<\/p>\n
Every year at around this time, the assembly \u2013 where each of the UN\u2019s 193 Member States has one vote \u2013 takes up the \u201cnecessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba\u201d.<\/p>\n
And every year, whatever the political climate, the issue generates plenty of diplomatic heat. The debate usually spills over two days as countries and regional groups take the floor to explain their positions.<\/p>\n
The assembly has called for an end to the embargo, first imposed in 1960, on 33 previous occasions.<\/p>\n
Support has grown markedly since the first vote in 1992, when 59 countries backed the resolution, three opposed it, 71 abstained and 46 did not vote.<\/p>\n
It peaked at 191 votes in favour in 2015, 2016 and 2017, during the thaw in relations under US President Barack Obama. The United States and Israel voted against in 2015 and 2017; in 2016, both abstained.<\/p>\n
Some countries have shifted position as governments have changed, but many have held the same line for decades. Canada, China and Russia have long voted in favour, while the United States, backed by Israel, has voted against every year bar one.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s debate comes as the Trump administration has tightened the embargo \u2013 a move that has led to an energy crisis and possible humanitarian collapse, according to the UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichon.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that energy shortages are taking a toll on health.<\/p>\n
In May, senior UN officials reported that more than 100,000 surgical procedures had been postponed. Cuban authorities have repeatedly pointed to further damage to the health system, including delays to vaccination programmes and patients with chronic illnesses unable to get a stable supply of medicines.<\/p>\n
This year, President Donald Trump has also raised the possibility of military intervention in Cuba.<\/p>\n
Successive UN High Commissioners for Human Rights and independent UN experts have condemned the embargo and other unilateral US sanctions, warning that they threaten Cubans\u2019 rights to health, life, food and development.<\/p>\n