Cuba

“Cuba's future must be freely determined by the Cuban people. Sadly, that has not been the case for decades, and it is not the case today. The people of Cuba deserve the same rights, freedoms and opportunities as anyone else. And so the United States is going to continue supporting the basic rights of the Cuban people.”

President Barack Obama, December 19, 2011

Overview

For more than 50 years, Cubans have lived under a totalitarian regime that has severely restricted fundamental freedoms, repressed political opponents, and violated human rights. The President of the United States is committed to supporting the simple desire of the Cuban people to freely determine their future and enjoy the rights and freedoms that define the Americas. To this end, the U.S. foreign assistance program supports efforts in three broad areas:

1. Provide humanitarian assistance (basic foodstuff, vitamins, and personal hygiene supplies) to political prisoners and their families;
2. Promote human rights and fundamental freedoms and supporting independent civil society by strengthening leadership skills and providing opportunities for community organizing; and
3. Facilitate information flow to, from, and within the island.

Programs

USAID focuses on increasing the ability of Cubans to participate in civic affairs and improve human rights conditions on the island. By reaching out to the dissident community and beyond and engaging citizens to enhance local leadership skills, strengthen organizational capacity, facilitate outreach strategies, and support greater access to information and communication, the USAID program contributes to the development of independent civil society groups that can ultimately make significant contributions at the local and national levels.

The United States Congress appropriated $35 million for Cuba programs between fiscal years 2009-2010 and USAID managed nearly $23 million of this amount, while the Department of State managed the remainder.

Specifically, USAID works in the following areas:

Humanitarian Support to Political Prisoners and their Families: Cuba is a totalitarian state which relies on repressive methods to maintain control. Criticism of national leaders or the political system can lead to imprisonment. Members of the security forces harass and physically assault human rights and pro-democracy advocates, dissidents, detainees, and prisoners. The Cuban Government continues to deny human rights organizations, the United Nations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all prisoners and detainees (U.S. Department of State 2010 Human Rights Report).

USAID provides on-going humanitarian support to political prisoners and their families, which are often systematically marginalized by the security forces and unable to work. Since the program’s inception, USAID has provided nutritional food items, vitamins, over-the-counter medicines, and toiletries to hundreds of Cuban families, all of which provide an invaluable lifeline and improve their physical and psychological well-being.

Human Rights and Democracy Promotion: The Cuban Government routinely denies its citizens freedom of association and does not recognize independent associations. The Cuban Constitution prohibits any political organization that is not officially recognized. As a result, grassroots community efforts which operate in a democratic manner are extremely limited (U.S. Department of State 2010 Human Rights Report).

USAID supports independent civic, social, and development activities by providing technical and material assistance to organize, train, and energize small groups of people within their communities. These efforts provide an opportunity for citizens to work together in a manner independent from the state. USAID also provides trainings on documenting human rights abuses according to international standards and raises awareness of such abuses within Cuba and around the world.

Facilitating the Free Flow of Information: The Cuban Government owns and the Communist Party controls all print and broadcast media outlets. News and information programming is nearly uniform across all outlets, and the law prohibits distribution of printed material from foreign sources considered “counterrevolutionary” or critical of the government. Foreign newspapers or magazines are generally unavailable, and distribution of material with political content, interpreted broadly to include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is not allowed and can result in harassment and even detention. The Cuban Government controls nearly all internet access, with the exception of extremely limited facilities, where foreigners and citizens are allowed to buy Internet access cards for use at hotel business centers, where the price of Internet access is beyond the means of most citizens. Authorities review the browsing history of authorized users, review and censor e-mail, employ Internet search filters, and block access to Web sites considered objectionable (U.S. Department of State 2010 Human Rights Report).

USAID provides basic news and information about issues relevant to Cubans from inside Cuba and around the world. USAID programs disseminate books, magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets to broad segments of the population but with an increasing emphasis on promoting the use of social media. USAID also distributes laptops to facilitate the sharing of information from USB drives, CDs, and DVDs. Laptops are also used to document human rights abuses and allow people to express themselves in writing in a manner that is more easily broadcast inside and outside Cuba. USAID has helped train hundreds of journalists over the last decade whose work has appeared in major international news outlets.

Current USAID program partners are:

Creative Associates
$7 million from August 2008 to June 2012

ECHO Cuba
$1 million from June 2009 to June 2012

Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba
$3.4 million from September 2011 to September 2014

Grupo de Apoyo a la Democracia
$1.5 million from September 2010 to September 2012

International Relief and Development
$3.5 million from September 2011 to September 2014

International Republican Institute
$3.7 million from August 2008 to June 30, 2012

Loyola University
$3 million from September 2010 to September 2013

National Democratic Institute
$2.3 million from September 2011 to September 2014

Pan-American Development Foundation
$3.9 million from September 2011 to September 2014