Mr. Chair,

I have the honor to deliver a joint statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of 28 member states, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Re-public, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Russian Federation, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Zimbabwe, and my own country China.

Our world is facing interlocking global challenges with developing countries disproportionately affected. A true, effective and functional multilateral system based on international solidarity, unity and cooperation is urgently needed more than ever.

And yet, developing countries and their populations continue to fall victim to unilateral coercive measures, which violate the principle of sovereign equality and cooperation, intervene in other countries’ internal affairs, and disregard the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, multilateralism and the basic norms of international relations.

Mr. Chair,

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underscores the equal enjoyment by all states of the development dividends, and strongly urges states to refrain from promulgating and applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Regrettably, despite the global call to urgently lift unilateral coercive measures, the imposition of these illegal measures continues to cause devastating, sometimes even life-threatening consequences, to targeted countries and their peoples. Unilateral coercive measures, coupled with secondary sanctions and over-compliance, exacerbate existing humanitarian and economic challenges, gravely affect the stability of the global production and supply chains, as well as food, energy, and financial security, and seriously undermine the world economic order and the efforts of the countries concerned to achieve SDGs.

Moreover, unilateral coercive measures violate all human rights, including the right to life, health, development, and education and impede the ability of targeted countries to realize those rights. The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights for the United Nations Human Rights Council pointed out in the report that unilateral coercive measures has led to a serious shortage of medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment in the countries targeted, and that it has led to a rise in mortality rate, leaving those in vulnerable situations such as women, children, the elderly, and the disabled in a particularly difficult situation. In this context, unilateral coercive measures have grave humanitarian effects in countries and regions concerned. 

We are also concerned that unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance have limited the ability of affected countries to access and acquire foreign investment and technologies, and hindered international cooperation in culture, arts, sports, travel, people-to-people exchanges, and transports, including civil aviation.

Mr. Chair,

We welcome the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Group of 77 and China on reaffirming that the imposition of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries does not contribute to economic and social development, including dialogue and understanding among countries. We highlight the Non-Aligned Movement's Declarations and Communiques on condemning the promulgation and application of unilateral coercive measures, including those measures used as tools for political or economic and financial pressure against any country, in particular against developing countries.

We recognize the work done by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights for the United Nations Human Rights Council and take note of the reports, country visits and statements delivered by the Special Rapporteur.

We reaffirm our opposition to unilateral coercive measures and call on imposing States to immediately and completely cease such practice. We call upon Member States, the UN system, and other international organizations to support states under unilateral coercive measures and help them mitigate their hardships. We call for heightened attention from the international community to the grave consequences of unilateral coercive measures and joint opposition to these illegal practices. The current circumstance calls for solidarity and unity rather than confrontation and division to address global challenges and promote and protect human rights for all.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.