To Chef Jose Andres,

We have seen your principled humanitarian action time and time again. When hurricanes struck Cuba, you responded swiftly, guided by a simple ethic: when people are in crisis, you feed them. 

Today, Cuba faces another emergency. Not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.

By forbidding third countries from shipping oil to Cuba, the U.S. government is provoking a humanitarian disaster that is entirely preventable. Supporters of this policy argue that hunger and suffering are necessary for regime change.

We hope you agree that using hunger as leverage is a red line that should not be crossed. Intentionally starving a civilian population is a crime against humanity.

We are better than this. Humanitarian principles exist precisely to reject the idea that starving people is an acceptable political tool.

When policy knowingly produces hunger at this scale, the world must step in to say “No!.” . That is why we urge World Central Kitchen to step in and provide food to the Cuban people who are being unfairly targeted.

Cuba does not need charity. It needs the siege to end. Until then, humanitarian solidarity matters more than ever.

Sincerely,