A UN human rights expert today called for the lifting of all unilateral sanctions that obstruct the humanitarian
responses of sanctioned States, in order to enable their health care systems to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and save
lives.
“I urge the international community to take immediate measures to lift, or at least suspend, all sanctions until our
common threat is eliminated,” said Ms. Alena Douhan, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of
the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. This aligns with the recent appeal of the UN Secretary-General to wave sanctions that undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic.
“The defeat of this enemy can only be achieved through joint efforts of all States and international organisations in a
spirit of multilateralism, cooperation and solidarity,” she said. “In the face of the global challenge, no one shall be
denied vital medical care.
“I call on all Governments that use sanctions as foreign-relation tools to immediately withdraw measures aimed at
establishing trade barriers, and ban tariffs, quotas, non-tariff measures, including those which prevent financing the
purchase of medicine, medical equipment, food, other essential goods,” said the UN expert.
The Special Rapporteur stressed that the current pandemic is challenging the whole system of human rights, including
such fundamental rights as the right to life and right to health. “A sensitive human-rights approach is needed to
confront the COVID-19 crisis, and that includes the lifting of any coercive measures among States,” she said.
“I welcome all efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the countries affected by the disease.” Douhan noted that some
Governments and international organisations are often unable to provide the even most basic aid to the population of the
sanctioned countries because unilateral sanctions use the global financial system to force third countries, companies
and financial institutions to avoid any transactions related to those States.
“This is a matter of utmost importance and great urgency. The COVID-19 virus does not choose. It crosses borders easily
and targets people regardless of nationality, race, political approaches, religion or social status,” she said, noting
that in sanctioned countries, in particular Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and Yemen, medical equipment is rather often
outdated, and suffer shortages of medicine and protective means.
“Sanctioned countries are especially hard-hit as they cannot use their revenues to purchase imports of equipment,
medicines, antiviral and food from global markets,” the UN expert said. “The pandemic is triggering a serious economic
crisis with serious negative humanitarian effects, especially for the most vulnerable ones in the poorest sectors of the
population: women, elderly, youth, and children,” Douhan said.
“I reiterate my predecessor’s long standing position that the use of economic sanctions for political purposes violates
human rights and the norms of international behaviour. As earlier as May 2019, he warned that such actions may precipitate man-made humanitarian catastrophes of unprecedented proportions.
“This is what we are witnessing now with regard to the health system worldwide and in sanctioned countries in
particular.”