UN experts have warned that the January 2026 executive order issued by the President of the United States imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba amounts to “energy starvation” with severe consequences for human rights and development. They described the measure as unlawful, noting that it cripples essential services required for a dignified life and intensifies the effects of the decades‑long embargo. The order imposes additional duties on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba, worsening fuel shortages across the island.
The experts highlighted that the executive order does not demonstrate how Cuba poses an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security. While it references human rights concerns within Cuba, they stressed that the measure itself directly harms the Cuban people’s enjoyment of rights. Reports indicate that fuel scarcity is preventing access to hospitals and schools, with Cuba’s health system facing a backlog of over 96,000 surgeries, including 11,000 for children, and delays in the national immunization programme affecting thousands of infants.
By depriving the population of energy needed to run essential services, the blockade obstructs rights to development, food, education, health, and water and sanitation. The experts emphasized that using energy starvation as a coercive tool is incompatible with international human rights norms. They recalled previous concerns about the embargo’s detrimental effects on food security and living standards, warning that the new blockade compounds these harms and poses a major obstacle to Cuba’s development.
The experts noted that while the blockade undermines rights, it also presents an opportunity for Cuba to embrace renewable energy pathways. They have formally communicated their concerns to the U.S. government, requesting clarification on the legal and factual basis for the executive order and information on measures taken to mitigate its negative human rights impacts.
