The Cuban regime this Wednesday voted against a World Health Organization (WHO) resolution condemning Russian attacks on Ukraine’s health systems.
Although WHO member states voted by a large majority for the resolution, Cuba voted against it, as it has against all initiatives that point to its old ally, Moscow.
The vote took place within the framework of a meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, where “the health emergency in Ukraine and in countries receiving and hosting refugees following the aggression of the Russian Federation” was presented. , which demands “an immediate cessation of all attacks against hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Ukraine”.
88 votes were cast in favor of the resolution, 12 against and 53 against it.
It was voted against by Russia, which believed the text politicized the work of the WHO; and their allies, including Cuba, China, Belarus, and North Korea.
The document condemns Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, particularly the attacks on health facilities, noting that the war is about extraordinary circumstances that pose a serious threat to the health of the Ukrainian population.
In this regard, the text urges Russia to immediately end all attacks against hospitals and other health care establishments.
Similarly, the Assembly was concerned about the risks of radiological, biological and chemical accidents and the negative impact of armed conflict on world food security.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yevgenia Filippenko, said shortly before the vote that Russia continued “its daily attacks against critical infrastructure and civilians” across the country.
The WHO has counted 974 verified attacks against health services in the attacked country since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a balance of 101 deaths.
Last February, the Cuban government abstained from an emergency vote called by the United Nations General Assembly to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
In October 2022, the Cuban regime did not participate in another historic UN vote condemning Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s territories; and voted against a UN order to monitor, through a special envoy, the repression of opponents in Moscow.
