Mike Hammer, Chargé d'Affaires and Head of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, met with Pablo Ruiz Hiebra, the new Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Cuba, in the first publicly known contact between the two diplomats.
"It was a pleasure to meet Pablo Ruiz Hiebra, the new United Nations Coordinator in Cuba. We shared notes about the situation on the island, especially the efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to those in greatest need," Hammer expressed on the social media of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
The meeting takes place at a time of serious humanitarian crisis in Cuba, marked by prolonged blackouts, shortages of fuel and food, and the ongoing deterioration of health services.
Ruiz Hiebra, a Spanish diplomat with over 20 years of experience in crisis zones, was appointed UN resident coordinator in Cuba by Secretary-General António Guterres on October 1, with the approval of the Cuban government.
Before assuming this position, he served as the resident coordinator in Uruguay and country director for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Colombia, where he participated in initiatives related to the peace process. He also worked in Haiti, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka on post-crisis recovery efforts.
On October 9, he presented his credentials to the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anayansi Rodríguez, in Havana. His arrival coincides with the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030, signed with the Cuban government in October 2025.
The meeting this Tuesday reflects the urgency of coordinating the humanitarian response on the island. The UN issued a call for 94 million dollars to assist nearly 2 million people across 63 municipalities in eight provinces, but by September 2026, it had only received about 42 million, facing critical deficits in food security, health, and water.
In May, the United States reiterated an offer of 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Cuba. Subsequently, it announced that 60 million would be channeled through the Catholic Church and 40 million through independent non-governmental organizations.
Hammer has been the visible face of that effort. The official visited beneficiary families in Bejucal in August and, in September, toured homes in Villa Clara.
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