UN experts reject unilateral sanctions against countries

Countries that suffer sanctions such as Cuba, Venezuela, Syria and Iran are unable to obtain essential services amid the pandemic, including medicines, food, electricity, water and fuel, highlighted UN experts on Wednesday.

Unilateral coercive measures violate the right to development and create conditions of poverty in these and other nations, they pointed out in a statement released on the official United Nations news site.

For this reason, a group of rapporteurs and independent experts from the UN asked countries that impose sanctions to withdraw them as soon as possible or at least reduce them to a minimum in order to guarantee the rule of law and human rights.

'States must apply the precautionary principle when adopting unilateral sanctions to avoid any negative humanitarian impact,' they stressed and also demanded an end to the 'punishment of innocent civilians.'

Many people around the world are deprived of the right to development, both to the economic improvement of their countries and to their own personal advancement, because of unilateral measures, embargoes and blockades, said experts appointed by the Rights Council. Humans.

In a world on the way to globalization, such setbacks hurt everyone internationally, they stressed.

The sanctions hinder the good health of entire populations and hinder the transport of goods necessary for economic development, cause the waste of natural resources, undermine environmental sustainability and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the experts detailed.

For example, they noted, when U.S. sanctions block teleconferencing and data services in countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, and Iran, people are left without access to webinars and online meetings for information, exchanges, education and formation.

Doctors and the rest of the health personnel, they added, cannot consult the databases of their specialty either.

As stressed by the UN's independent experts, all essential activities for the development of each nation are affected when sanctions and unilateral coercive measures are imposed.

Recently, the UN General Assembly declared that the right to development is an inalienable human right, and this is also recognized by a series of multilateral declarations. The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has repeatedly called since last year to suspend unilateral sanctions imposed on several States, which hinder the fight against Covid-19 in the affected countries and impede the promotion and the enjoyment of all human rights.