JAMAICA · CUBA · UN VOTE
Key Facts
- —What is happening Ten former Caribbean leaders, including Jamaica’s ex-prime ministers Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson, signed an open letter dated Saturday, 24 October, urging all nations to vote against the US embargo on Cuba.
- —Why it matters The UN General Assembly votes on Wednesday, 28 October, and the yes vote fell to 165 last year from 187 in 2024, so the size of the result will be watched in Washington.
- —The numbers The 2025 vote was 165 in favour, 7 against and 12 abstentions. The letter says the UN has passed the resolution every year since 1992, and The Gleaner dates the embargo to October 1960.
- —Who is who Golding and Patterson are former prime ministers of Jamaica; the other signers led Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent. None holds office, so the letter is not a government position.
- —What to watch The vote on Wednesday, 28 October, and whether Jamaica and its CARICOM partners again vote yes.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives 11.5% to a US and Cuba economic deal by 31 December (26 October, 4:10 a.m. ET).
- —What it means for you For US readers, the vote shows how widely close Caribbean neighbours oppose US sanctions on Cuba, including, the letter says, penalties on fuel shippers. The resolution is not binding on Washington.
Two former Jamaican prime ministers signed a letter urging every country to vote against the US embargo on Cuba. The UN vote is due on Wednesday, 28 October.
Ten former Caribbean leaders have asked every country to vote against the US embargo on Cuba. Two of them are former prime ministers of Jamaica, Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson.
Their open letter is dated Saturday, 24 October, and points to a UN General Assembly vote on Wednesday, 28 October. The Jamaica Observer, The Gleaner and Kaieteur News in Guyana carried it on Sunday, 25 October.
What the Open Letter Says About the Cuba Embargo
The embargo is a set of US economic, commercial and financial sanctions on Cuba. The letter, addressed to all nations, calls US actions against Cuba contrary to international law.
The Observer quotes the signers as saying the actions “represent the law of the jungle”. They add that Cuba “is not a threat to any nation or any person on planet Earth”.
They note that the General Assembly has adopted a resolution on the embargo every year since 1992. The signers say the United States has ignored it each time.
The leaders also object to newer US steps. These are third-party sanctions on any government or entity that sells or transports energy products, including gasoline and diesel, to Cuba.
They call the measures inhumane and say they aim to pressure the Cuban people. They urge every nation to resist US pressure to defeat the resolution.
Who Signed the Open Letter
The text printed by Kaieteur News carries ten names, all former heads of government or state. Freundel Stuart was prime minister of Barbados, and Dean Barrow and Said Musa led Belize.
Keith Mitchell and Tillman Thomas were prime ministers of Grenada, and Donald Ramotar was president of Guyana. Kenny Anthony led St Lucia, and Ralph Gonsalves led St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson were prime ministers of Jamaica. None of the ten holds office, so the letter is not a government position.
Outlets disagree on the number of signers. Demerara Waves counts nine, the Observer ten, and The Gleaner and Caribbean National Weekly eleven.
The Gleaner and others add Keith Rowley, a former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister absent from the Kaieteur and Observer lists. Tringlobe and the St Vincent Times put the total at twelve.
How the UN Vote Has Gone
The letter gives the vote date as Wednesday, 28 October. Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, named the same date at a press conference dated Monday, 7 September.
Last year the resolution passed on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, by 165 votes to 7, with 12 abstentions, UN News reported. The 2024 vote was 187 to 2, with one abstention, the same report said.
The United States, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, North Macedonia and Ukraine voted no in 2025, UN News reported. The Gleaner added that all 14 CARICOM members voted yes.
The resolution is not legally binding, UN News noted. It works as a yearly gauge of world opinion on the embargo.
Cuba’s Case Before the Vote
Rodríguez said on 7 September that the embargo cost Cuba US$8.083 billion between March 2025 and February 2026. That figure is Havana’s own estimate and is 7% above the previous year’s.
He put cumulative losses at US$178.7 billion at current prices over more than six decades. Washington blames Cuba’s crisis on poor internal management, the Observer notes.
What It Means for US Readers
The vote is a public test of US sanctions policy, because the resolution asks Washington to end the embargo. The size of the yes vote will be read as a measure of US influence.
The third-party sanctions matter to business. The letter says any government or entity that sells or transports fuel to Cuba faces US sanctions.
The signers come from seven CARICOM countries. Their letter shows how far opposition to this policy reaches in the region.
Earlier reports cover Cuba’s charge of US pressure at the UN. They also cover US ambassador Mike Waltz’s denial of a blockade and US seizures of Cuba-bound fuel.
Wider context is in the Caribbean section and the Cuba section. The guide to Jamaica’s place in world politics adds the local view.
What Prediction Markets Say
Bettors on Polymarket give 11.5% to an official US and Cuba deal on trade or sanctions by 31 December. That is the midpoint of an 11 cent bid and a 12 cent ask at 4:10 a.m. ET on 26 October.
That market has traded about US$35,000, and the wider event about US$447,000. It does not ask about the UN vote, so the fit is loose.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The letter itself could not be found on an official site. Its wording comes from Kaieteur News, which printed it, and from outlets that quoted it.
Counts of signers range from nine to twelve, and the Kaieteur and Observer lists hold ten. The UN agenda pages opened show no date for the vote.
The 28 October date rests on the letter and Cuba’s foreign minister; a Rio Times report said 27 and 28 October. No Jamaican government position on this year’s vote has been found.
The charges of US pressure are claims by the signers and by Cuba, and no US reply was found. The Cuban damage figures come from one Prensa Latina bulletin and are Havana’s own estimate.
What Comes Next
The General Assembly votes on Wednesday, 28 October, and the tally will show whether support holds at 165. Last year’s yes vote was 22 below the 2024 total.
A yes vote does not end the embargo, because the resolution is not binding. Any change in US policy would be a separate decision in Washington.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who signed the open letter on the Cuba embargo?
Ten former Caribbean leaders are named in the printed letter, including Jamaica’s Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson. Some outlets add Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago.
When is the UN vote on the Cuba embargo?
The General Assembly vote is set for Wednesday, 28 October 2026, according to the letter. Cuba’s foreign minister gave the same date in September.
What was the result of last year’s vote?
The resolution passed on 29 October 2025 with 165 votes in favour, 7 against and 12 abstentions. The United States was among the seven.
What is the US embargo on Cuba?
It is a set of US economic, commercial and financial sanctions on Cuba. The Gleaner dates its start to October 1960, under President Eisenhower.
Does the UN vote end the embargo?
No, the resolution is not legally binding. It signals world opinion, and only Washington can change its own sanctions.
Sources: Kaieteur News, open letter, 25 October; Jamaica Observer, 25 October; The Gleaner, 25 October; Demerara Waves, 25 October; Caribbean National Weekly, 25 October; Tringlobe, 25 October; St Vincent Times, 25 October; UN News, 2025 vote, 29 October 2025; The Gleaner, 2025 vote, 31 October 2025; Prensa Latina bulletin on News in America, Cuba press conference, 7 September (all accessed 26 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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