IACHR and REDESCA Express Concern Over Worsening Food Shortages and Prolonged Power Cuts in Cuba

April 29, 2024

Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) expressed concern over the recent worsening of food insecurity and prolonged power outages in Cuba. This situation has a disproportionate effect on certain sectors of the population, such as older people, pregnant women, children and adolescents, and people with chronic illnesses, and is seriously jeopardizing their living conditions.

The Food Monitor Program has observed that in 2023, most of Cuba's provinces experienced low levels of food security. It was also noted that the Cuban government recently requested assistance from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in response to the country's difficulties in continuing to distribute subsidized milk to children under 7 years of age and shortages of flour for subsidized bread in the basic food basket, despite being a basic commodity in the Cuban diet. Likewise, in March 2024, there was a significant increase in electricity outages in different parts of the country.

The IACHR has already commented on the persistence of chronic shortages of basic foodstuffs and essential products on the island. This situation is due to a context of low economic growth, high inflation, reduced food production and distribution, and infrastructure problems, especially in the electricity sector. It has been exacerbated by recent economic measures adopted by the government, including the increase in fuel and electricity prices and the elimination of subsidies for the basic food basket, as well as the devaluation of the country's currency.

The IACHR again expressed its concern over the ongoing economic embargo imposed by the United States of America and emphasized the importance of lifting this to guarantee the human rights impacted by this measure, an observation it has already made in previous statements. In particular, it notes that the economic sanctions against Cuba are intensifying and worsening socioeconomic conditions in the country, affecting the population's access to food, medicines, and basic necessities.

Furthermore, this context of deteriorating conditions for the exercise of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights in Cuba led to a new wave of social protests in March 2024. The most notable of these were the protests that began on March 17 in Santiago de Cuba, in which citizen demands mainly concerned electricity and food shortages. These demonstrations have spread to different parts of the country and reveal citizens' dissatisfaction with their lack of fundamental freedoms. The new wave of social protests has arisen in the context of ongoing social discontent that has been expressed in the streets since July 11, 2021.

In response to this scenario, especially the worsening food shortages and the electricity outages, the IACHR and REDESCA called once more on the Cuban State to take concrete measures to ensure that the population has access to sufficient food or the means to obtain it, as well as to the public services that are essential for their vital needs and integral development. They also urged the international community to promote cooperation around access to food, medical supplies, and basic necessities in Cuba.

Furthermore, the IACHR urged the State to guarantee the human rights of all those taking part in demonstrations. It emphasized that social protest is a fundamental tool in the defense of democracy and human rights, one that allows the population's demands and grievances to be channeled and made visible to the authorities. Consequently, the State must respect, protect, facilitate, and guarantee the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights was created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to strengthen the promotion and protection of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights in the Americas and spearhead IACHR efforts in this area.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 081/24

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