The end of the blockade against Cuba is a constant demand of the international community, which in recent days has intensified in forums such as CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and in the UN General Assembly, which is in session in New York City.

By María Josefina Arce

The end of the blockade against Cuba is a constant demand of the international community, which in recent days has intensified in forums such as CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and in the UN General Assembly, which is in session in New York City.

At its Sixth Summit of Heads of State and Government, held last weekend in Mexico City, CELAC approved a joint declaration which, among other aspects, refers to the need to put an end to the economic siege against the Caribbean island.

Now, from the very beginning of the debates at the highest level of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, the request was once again heard, which the United States continues to criminally ignore, despite the fact that last June, 184 countries voted in favor of lifting the unilateral measure.

Venezuela, Mexico, Suriname, Vietnam, South Africa and Costa Rica, among others, stressed that isolation and trade blockades must cease, as they are in violation of international law.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for an end to all sanctions and unilateral measures that prevent an adequate response to the health crisis.

Guterres' call has been echoed by the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, among other leading UN officials and experts.

But the United States maintains the economic siege and even the more than 240 measures adopted, 60 of them in the midst of the pandemic, by the previous administration of Donald Trump.

That is why, once again -- and so that President Joe Biden does not forget the feelings of the international community -- the caravans are returning this weekend to condemn the hostile U.S. policy that has caused so much suffering to Cuban families.

The streets of Miami, Las Vegas, New York and other cities in the United States -- as well as in Canada and Europe -- will be the scene of these caravans that advocate for bridges of love between the peoples of Cuba and the neighboring northern nation.

In Los Angeles, California, will join the community of brother Puerto Rico, which together with Cuba, the Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió called "Two Wings of the Same Bird."

The "Bridges of Love Project" has also called for a worldwide Tweet-a-thon to reject the blockade, which in has caused damages of 147,853 million dollars over the past 60 years.

These worldwide caravans began in 2019, and solidarity movements such as the "Bridges of Love Project" and the Europe for Cuba Channel have reiterated that they will continue with these and other actions until the U.S. aggression against the Cuban people finally comes to an end.