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USAID Information:
External Links:
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Cuba
The Development Challenge: Cuba continues to suffer under one of the world’s most repressive
regimes. The Cuban government denies its people the opportunity to read the United Nations Declaration
on Human Rights, labeling it a “subversive document.” The government continues to violate fundamental
human rights, and directly controls all educational institutions, trade unions, and formal economic activity.
They censor access to all information, banning foreign books, newspapers and magazines, and forbidding
importation of videocassettes and videocassette recorders. Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, the
Committee to Protect Journalists, and other human rights organizations have systematically documented
the human rights abuses of the Cuban government.
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Please note: All documents are in pdf format |
During 2003, the Cuban government cracked down on Cuba’s emerging independent civil society. The
government imprisoned 75 leading human rights activists, independent journalists, and independent
librarians, sentencing them to 15 to 25 year prison terms. Nevertheless, the peaceful opposition
continued to operate openly. Organizers of a petition calling for a referendum on economic and political
reform gathered nearly 30,000 signatures and presented them to the National Assembly. The
government dismissed this action, although it is authorized by the current Cuban Constitution.
The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the severe economic
depression of the early 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies.
Most economists attribute the poor performance of the Cuban economy to the inefficiency created by the
Cuban socialist system. Other causes such as high oil import prices, recessions in key export markets,
damage from Hurricanes Micelle and Isidore, and the tourist slump after 11 September 2001 have also
hampered economic growth on the island.
The Cuban government tries to reduce self-employment as well as all unofficial economic activity. In
1997, the government issued 210,000 licenses for self employment. The number fell to 110,000 by the
end of 2001. In 2002, the government stopped issuing new licenses. They also have continually
defaulted on loans from other countries while their chances of obtaining the new credits needed have
significantly decreased.
The country remains on the list of terrorist countries compiled by the U.S. Department of State. The goal
of U.S. policy toward Cuba is to promote a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy. To achieve this goal,
U.S. policy continues a multifaceted approach: comprehensive economic sanctions; outreach to the
Cuban people; promotion and protection of human rights; multilateral efforts to press for democracy; and
migration accords to promote safe, orderly and legal migration.
The USAID Program: To support a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba, USAID focuses on
development of civil society through information dissemination. The objective is to increase the flow of
accurate information on democracy, human rights, and free enterprise to, from, and within Cuba, as
authorized by the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 and the Cuban Liberty and Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of
1996. Authorized assistance includes informational material, assistance to victims of political repression
and their families, support for democratic and human rights groups in Cuba, and support for visits to Cuba
by independent international human rights monitors.
USAID requests funds under the formulated objective, “Civil Society Developed through Information
Dissemination,” as described in the Data Sheet below. The program provides grant support to U.S.
universities and nongovernmental organizations to further achievement of this objective. The program
also encourages grantees to undertake humanitarian, information-sharing, and civil society-building
activities in Cuba with private funds, subject to applicable U.S. Treasury and Commerce Department
regulations. Over the past seven years, USAID has provided $30 million to 25 U.S. universities and
nongovernmental organizations for this purpose.
Other Program Elements: USAID participates in all five working groups of the Presidential Commission
for Assistance to a Free Cuba, chaired by the Secretary of State. These groups plan for U.S. Government
support to a future transition government in Cuba.
Other Donors: The Roman Catholic Church provides assistance to CARITAS Cubana, one of the few
independent Cuban nongovernmental organizations. In 2000, Canada, China, Russia, the European
Union, Japan, and the United Nations Development Program delivered more than $90 million in economic
and humanitarian aid through Cuban government organizations.
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