UN resident coordinator in Cuba seeks $94.1 million to back new plan as energy crisis deepens

In a United Nations press briefing, Francisco Pichon, the UN resident coordinator in Cuba, outlined a restructured humanitarian action plan focused on an ongoing energy contingency and the remaining impacts of Hurricane Melissa. "We launched an action plan last November in response to Hurricane Melissa," he said, adding the plan was restructured 10 days earlier to place the energy crisis at the center of the response.

Pichon said the plan targets the critical needs of about 2 million people across 63 municipalities in eight provinces and seeks to mobilize $94.1 million, of which $26.2 million has been mobilized so far, leaving a funding gap of roughly $60 million. "We believe this is a very critical window of opportunity to mobilize the additional resources," he said.

The coordinator described the energy shortfall as "systemic and multiplying," affecting health, water and sanitation, food systems, education, transportation and telecommunications. He gave specific indicators of strain: more than 96,000 surgeries postponed (including about 11,000 for children), immunization delays affecting around 3,000 children, roughly 1 million people dependent on water trucking, and pressures across food supply chains. He added there are about 411,000 children and adolescents attending shortened school days.

To keep essential services functioning, the restructured plan emphasizes fuel and backup energy solutions and a cross-cutting deployment of renewable measures. "The plan focuses on traceable and equitable use of limited fuel resources," Pichon said, and listed measures such as solar panels for hospitals and schools, strengthened water-pumping infrastructure and prepositioned critical energy equipment.

Pichon said the UN is also exploring logistical options to move goods from ports to affected areas, including tendering a process to hire private operators that can import or transport fuel where authorized. He reported that about 170 containers of humanitarian goods, valued at about $6.3 million, are in Cuban ports but are not reaching beneficiaries because of fuel shortages.

On international fuel deliveries, Pichon said the only additional fuel he had referenced came from the Russian Federation — about "100,000 tons or 700,000 barrels," which he said would meet needs for roughly 12 to 13 days — and that he had no knowledge of Venezuelan fuel arriving. He said dialogues are ongoing between the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York, the U.S. mission to the UN and member states to secure concordance for humanitarian fuel access.

Pichon framed the UN objective in Cuba as protecting life and safeguarding dignity: "This is really about ensuring that essential services continue to function even under the extraordinary constraints that we face... saving lives cannot really wait." He said the plan is projected for implementation through the end of the year and that the UN would continue monitoring needs to adapt the response.

The briefing concluded with follow-up questions from journalists; Pichon said Mexico has been engaged at high levels in discussions about humanitarian fuel access but that operational solutions remain contingent on securing authorized fuel routes and additional funding.