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Countries Urge for Immediate Lifting of Unilateral Coercive Measures

2020-11-25 09:45

On 25 November, Permanent Missions of China, Niger, Russia, South Africa and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines co-hosted an Arria-formula meeting on “End Unilateral Coercive Measures Now” in New York. The meeting was attended by more than 70 countries and chaired by Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China. Most countries speaking at the meeting expressed grave concerns over the negative impacts of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs), pointed out that they seriously undermine the socioeconomic development and livelihood of the affected countries, and urged that the relevant countries immediately lift UCMs. Many countries welcomed the convening of the meeting and commended the efforts of the co-hosts.

Representatives of Niger, Russia, South Africa and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the four co-hosts, said that the meeting provided a platform for Member States to exchange views on the negative impacts of UCMs. The negative effects of UCMs, such as financial and trade embargo, are indisputable, as they inflict injustice and suffering to people of the affected countries, severely affecting their livelihoods. The lifting of UCMs is essential to affected countries’ response to COVID-19. UCMs must not be used to punish the people. The international community should act now.

Ms. Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Mr. Fermín Quiñones, President of the United Nations Cuban Association, Mr. Khaled Erksoussi, Secretary-General of the Syrian Red Crescent, and Dr. Nhamo Mhiripiri, Associate Professor of Midlands State University in Zimbabwe, gave briefings on the serious consequences of UCMs.

Ms. Douhan stressed that unilateral sanctions undermine existing regional and bilateral integration mechanisms. Denying the use of online resources violates the right of access to information and the right to education. For countries that depend on food imports, unilateral sanctions disrupt existing food supply and payment chains and result in increasing prices for food and medicine. The countries imposing unilateral sanction measures cannot be expected to guarantee human rights by violating the human rights of those they seek to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the negative humanitarian effects of unilateral sanctions more obvious and more disastrous. The right to life and the right to development are badly affected, with women, children, refugees, migrants being the most vulnerable.

Other briefers also noted that civilians are the biggest victims of UCMs. UCMs imposed by the United States and the EU impede access to healthcare, education, drinking water and basic services, have a serious impact on the flow of funds, procurement of goods, and health facilities of humanitarian agencies, hamper the reconstruction and economic development and exacerbate poverty in post-conflict countries. UCMs also restrict normal movement of people to and from the affected countries. All the briefers called for the immediate lifting of UCMs.

The affected countries, including Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Nicaragua, elaborated the negative impacts of UCMs and the challenges brought by UCMs to the fight against COVID-19. They emphasized that UCMs seriously undermine the socioeconomic development of the affected countries and the well-being of their people and violate the right to life, health and a decent living of the people in the affected countries. The affected countries are unable to obtain basic medical supplies in a timely manner, with women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups suffering greatly. The intensified blockade and sanctions during the pandemic have seriously undermined the countries’ ability to purchase life-saving medical supplies and held back socioeconomic development. The speakers called on the international community to take swift and effective action and urged relevant countries to immediately lift UCMs.

In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Zhang Jun said that UCMs contradict the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law. The United States and some other countries use UCMs to suppress legitimate sovereign governments and even attempt at regime change. Such practices go against the basic norms of international relations and are extremely harmful to multilateralism. UCMs impede humanitarian operations in vulnerable countries. Transfer of funds, import of fuel, access to medicine, etc. are essential to humanitarian efforts, but have become extremely difficult because of UCMs. The so-called humanitarian exemptions do not work, especially in humanitarian emergencies, as humanitarian workers have experienced repetitive rejections and long delays. UCMs undermine the affected countries’ health capacity and their ability to mobilize resources to fight COVID-19, jeopardize global solidarity and international cooperation. Any responsible countries should not turn a blind eye and show indifference to these facts. UCMs must be lifted to ensure full, effective and efficient response of all Member States to COVID-19.

Ambassador Zhang Jun said that the international community must act and act quickly. UN Resident Coordinators should do research in each affected country and report back in due course. OCHA should study and record the humanitarian impacts of UCMs and submit focused report to the Security Council. The Security Council should pay close attention to the negative impacts of UCMs on relevant countries and their people. The General Assembly should follow up its resolutions on UCMs and see to their implementation. Member States must heed the appeals of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights with concrete actions. NGOs, civil society, humanitarian workers and the media are encouraged to collect information on the challenges brought by UCMs and make it known to the world in a joint effort to push back the unfair practices.

The term “unilateral coercive measures” usually refers to economic measures taken by one State to compel a change in the policy of another State. Examples of such measures include trade sanctions in the form of embargoes and the interruption of financial and investment flows between sender and target countries. UCMs violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, contravene international law, and severely hamper economic development and health capacity of affected countries. Their negative impacts have caused further concerns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights have both appealed for the lifting of sanctions that have undermined countries’ ability to respond to COVID-19. Many leaders also called for the lifting of UCMs during the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. On 5 October, speaking on behalf of 26 countries in the general debate of the Third Committee of the General Assembly, China emphasized that UCMs should be lifted immediately and completely.

Arria-formula meeting is a flexible and informal mechanism for Security Council members to exchange views with UN Member States and interested parties on issues of common concern. The meeting today was held at the joint initiative of China, Russia and other co-hosts and was the first ever Arria-formula meeting on UCMs.

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