OHCHR

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) supported the February 2026 joint statement by three UN Special Rapporteurs condemning Executive Order 14380 as an extreme form of unilateral economic coercion with extraterritorial effects and warning that restricting Cuba's fuel imports risks constituting collective punishment of civilians.

OHCHR serves as the secretariat for the UN Human Rights Council and the broader UN human rights system. Based in Geneva with offices globally, it supports Special Rapporteurs, treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review. Its mandate covers the full range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. OHCHR's institutional backing amplifies Special Rapporteur statements and ensures their formal transmission to member states.

The Cuba statement sits within a broader OHCHR pattern of scrutinising unilateral coercive measures under international human rights law. Similar positions have been taken on sanctions regimes affecting Iran, Venezuela, and other states. The office's consistent line is that secondary sanctions with collective civilian impact require humanitarian carve-outs at minimum.