Septamber-2014

The purpose of imposing sanctions on the target country is to force it’s government to respect human rights, but sometimes they themselves violate human rights !

Sanctions have violated human rights in Cuba

Sanction and Human Rights

Human Rights which may be Violated by Sanction

• The US instituted trade sanctions against Cuba in 1960

• Reducing the negative effect on health care system by : • Subsidized trade and aid from the former Soviet

Union, countries in the socialist bloc, and western Europe

• Government’s emphasizing on Public health and universal access to free medical care

• Crumbling the socialist bloc in the late 1980s• lost $4 to $6 billion annually in subsidized trade• lack of currency to purchase drugs and medical

equipment in western Europe • Limited access to the raw materials needed for

manufacture pharmaceutical products through the eastern bloc

The US Sanction Against Cuba

• Passage of the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992: Prohibiting foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies from trading with Cuba

→ Much more severity for Cuban • Passage of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export

Enhancement Act (TSRA) in October 2000: allowing sale of agricultural goods and medicine to Cuba for humanitarian reasons→ Increasing food export to Cuba

• Continuing sanctions on Cuba for over 5 decades

The US Sanction Against Cuba

Some of Health Indices in Cuba in 2012

Neonatal mortality rate

Infant mortality rate

Under-5 mortality rate

Maternal mortality ratio

Births attended By skilled health staff

Death rate

Life expectancy at birth

2.6

4.3

5.5

33.4

99.9

7.62

79.07

Per 1,000 live births

Per 1,000 live births

Per 1,000 live births

Per 100,000 live births

% of total

Per 1,000 people

Years

• Cuba is one of the best in infant, child and maternal mortality rates among developing countries due to:• A strong family doctor program• Food rationing• Routine monitoring of weight and weight gain among

pregnant women and young children• Medical surveillance of pregnancies• Investments in general education• A high degree of social unity regarding child health• Subsidies on Healthcare • High share of public Health expenditure of total

health expenditure (over 94 percent in 2012)

-Note that:• During the worst years of the economic decline ( GDP

growth was around -15% in 1993) and retooling of the health system, in 1993 and 1994, were poor health outcomes recorded.

• There was another decline in 2009 with weaker dimension (around 1.5 % GDP growth)

• About half of all proteins and calories in Cuba were imported prior to sanctions.

• The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 reflects one of the few sanctions worldwide that explicitly includes food and further defines trading restrictions that block access to medical supplies.

• Importation of foodstuffs declined by about 50 per cent from 1989 to 1993.

• After passage of TSRA In 2000, the US food export to Cuba increased: Since 2002, the USA has been the major supplier of food and agricultural products to Cuba.

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

The USA exportfood To Cuba

380285 336329 314407 415603 662143 499417 326318 325609 429018 335152

1961

1963

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

Food and Animals Import in Cuba

1000

$

1961

1963

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000Food (Vegetal and Animal Products)Supply in Cuba

Vegetal Products supply Animal Products Supply Total Food Supply

kcal

/cap

ita/d

ay

1961

1963

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

020406080

100120140160180

Food Production Index in Cuba

Food

pro

ducti

on in

dex

(200

4-20

06 =

100

)

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

Prevalence of Anemia among Children in Cuba

% o

f chi

ldre

n un

der 5

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

0

5

10

15

20

25

Prevalence of Undernourishment in Cuba

% o

f pop

ulati

on

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Prevalence of Food Inadequacy in Cuba

% o

f Pop

ulati

on

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Depth of the Food Deficit in Cuba

kilo

calo

ries p

er p

erso

n pe

r day

• Sanctions make it difficult for Cuba to import medicine and medicinal equipment from the US: preventing Cubans from benefiting from vital medicines and medical equipment essential for their health

• Most of new pharmaceuticals have been produced by US-patented companies → These are rare in Cuba : Cuban Health is threatened.

• Doctors and patients in Cuba always worry that sanctions leave medical equipment without replacement parts and patients without continuity of medications.

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Laboratory TestingInstruments

Medicinal equipment

PharmaceuticalPreparations

Total US Medicinal andPharmaceutical Exportsto Cuba

30

468

1298

1796

8 7 0 0 0 36 0 0 29

396 753 366 295 30 146 80 0 1720

1747 2111 1862 940 487 536 843 3096 1560

2151 2871 2228 1235 517 718 923 3096 3309

Good performance of Cuba’s government has decreasedthe detrimental effects of sanctions

The U.S. embargo has negative effects on Cuban Health. soit is immoral.

It violates human rights in Cuba

Sanctions has hurt health and nutrition of vulnerable populations (women and children younger than 5 years of age)

Conclusion

Thank You For Attention

Designer : Mohsen Abbasi