Cuba is facing rapidly worsening conditions driven by severe fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts and growing barriers to accessing food and health care. The energy crisis, further compounded by last year's challenges, including Hurricane Melissa, has increased the vulnerability of millions of people.
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development), announced an accelerated funding of $8 million to be released immediately to scale-up food and nutrition for vulnerable Cubans. This funding is part of an international assistance program to strengthen local food security and nutrition, delivered through trusted partnerships with the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), ensuring our aid reaches the Cuban people directly.
Canada continues to monitor the situation in Cuba and remains in close contact with its partners to assess and respond to evolving needs.