Mr. President,

1. I am honoured to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China in this plenary meeting on agenda item 19: "Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba".

2. The Group of 77 and China has always been firmly against the embargo. The Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China at the Second South Summit held in Doha, Qatar, on 12-16 June 2005 rejected firmly the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions against developing countries, and called upon the Government of the United States to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba which, in addition to being unilateral and contrary to the UN Charter and international law, and to the principle of neighborliness, causes huge material loses and economic damage to the people of Cuba.

3. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate once again its long-standing position on this important matter. At their recent thirty-third annual meeting held at UN Headquarters in New York on 25 September 2009, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Group of 77 and China, and I quote, "firmly rejected the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions against developing countries, and reiterated the urgent need to eliminate them immediately. They emphasized that such actions not only undermine the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law, but also severely threaten the freedom of trade and investment. They, therefore, called on the international community neither to recognize these measures nor apply them."

Mr. President,

4. The G-77 and China notes the communications from Governments and organs and agencies of the United Nations contained in the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the General Assembly resolution 63/7. Sadly, they unequivocally show that the embargo remains largely unchanged and continues to impose severe economic and financial restrictions on Cuba. Furthermore, the deepening impact of the global economic crisis on Cuba and the continued embargo by the Government of the United States will contribute to further aggravate the hardships for the people of Cuba.

5. The Group of 77 and China calls on the United States to heed the increasing calls by the international community to bring an end to the five-decades-old embargo and to fully adhere to the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of a sisterly country. The embargo frustrates efforts towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and negatively affects regional cooperation in the area.

6. The Group of 77 and China is committed to working towards a better world for all in which nations, large or small, could co-exist peacefully. The achievement of such peaceful co-existence among nations requires an adherence by all nations to the cardinal principles of the UN Charter and the peaceful conduct of relations among nations.

7. The Group of 77 and China will again fully support the draft resolution against the embargo and urges all Member States to do so as well.

I thank you.