BWA General Council Resolution 2013.7

The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Ocha Rios, Jamaica, July 1-6, 2013:

ACKNOWLEDGES that more than two decades have passed since the end of the Cold War, and that most negative manifestations of that struggle have been ameliorated, except for the continuing USA embargo against Cuba begun in 1960;

AFFIRMS that the embargo does not serve the interests of the USA, Cuba or the international family of nations, much less so the interests of the Body of Christ in general, and the Baptist family, in particular; and

RECALLS the resolution it adopted at its meetings in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1992 and in Havana, Cuba, in 2000, calling upon governments “to remove economic sanctions relating to food and medicines” and “to reconsider the appropriateness of the use of economic sanctions in the effort to encourage changes in political situations;”

NOTES that several Baptist bodies in the USA, including two US conventions affiliated with the BWA – the American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention – have been on record for more than two decades in opposition to the embargo; and

RECOGNIZES that annually, over the past 21 years, the United Nations General Assembly has voted – nearly unanimously – for an end to the embargo;

RECALLS the widely held belief that the lifting of the embargo will improve living conditions for Cubans and provide greater opportunities for commerce, education, and travel;

INVITES the member organizations of the Baptist World Alliance to stand in solidarity with Cuban Baptists who have been negatively impacted by this embargo;

COMMENDS the progress in the relationship between the USA and Cuba and urges the US government to lift all remaining restrictions on travel to Cuba by US citizens and
end the embargo against Cuba and re-establish formal diplomatic relations with the Cuban government; and

CALLS UPON the governments of USA and Cuba to set in place a process for negotiating legitimate bilateral grievances.

Citations

BWA General Council Resolution 2013.7 End to United States of America (USA) Embargo on Cuba

Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Baptist World Alliance 2013 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2013.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Baptist World Alliance 2013 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2013), pp. 142- 143.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 2013.7 End to United States of America (USA) Embargo on Cuba; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 2013.7).