Iran Urges Immediate End to Unilateral Coercive Measures

Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations Zahra Ershadi delivered a speech to a meeting of the UN Commission for Social Development, held in New York on Monday.

The full text of her statement is as follows:

“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful;

It gives me great privilege to address the 60th Session of the Commission for Social Development. I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to you and the other members of the Bureau on your election.

Madam Chair,

The Islamic Republic of Iran highlights the importance of national development policies and strategies as an appropriate platform for addressing the national priorities and requirements of Member States.

In this connection, Iran is implementing its "6th Five-year National Development Plan" through the reinforcement of a knowledge-based economy together with the development of advanced technology among a wide variety of subjects.

Further, a strong legal and legislative framework has been created that provides a solid platform for planning, implementing and following-up with national development strategies and policies, particularly regarding poverty eradication.

Significant achievements have been made so far despite the external challenges ranging from unlawful unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) including sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the current circumstances, the Government of Iran has provided special financial packages as well as social and economic rehabilitation plans for poor and  people in vulnerable situation along with economic support measures, especially for small businesses.

In the meantime, treatment programs have been provided for around 4 million legal and illegal Afghan refugees.

The United Nations system and its specialized agencies can play an important role in exchanging countries' successful experiences in implementing post- COVID economic and social rehabilitation projects, as well as mobilizing international financial resources to achieve the desired national goals in the post- COVID era.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the daily life of every single person. Women, children, the elderly, medical personnel, refugees, migrants and those suffering from chronic and rare diseases are the most affected.

In fact, the pandemic has made the negative humanitarian effects of unilateral sanctions far more obvious and more disastrous.

The illegal sanctions have hampered access of vulnerable segments of the society in affected countries, including my country, to basic medical items and requirements extremely difficult, thus endangering the lives and health of those citizens.

Medicines, medical supplies and health commodities have been targeted through tight restrictions of foreign exchange resources, even for these humanitarian items.

These illegal actions have directly impacted the lives of Iran's most vulnerable citizens, including women, children and patients. What is further distressing is the reality that many children have lost their lives as a result.

As our President stated in his address to the UNGA session, imposing unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, particularly sanctions on medicine and humanitarian items, are criminal acts on par with crimes committed against humanity.

Those who sanction countries should not go unpunished for such heinous crimes.

The deteriorating economic situation as a result of illegal sanctions severely affects the exercise of economic and labor rights which, in the long run, will increase poverty and impede the achievement of sustainable development goals.

As the representative of a country whose people are subjected to the most brutal form of economic terrorism and illegitimate unilateral coercive measures by the United States, I call for the complete and immediate lifting of all unilateral coercive measures including sanctions in order to ensure the full achievement of economic and social development and enable the targeted countries to repair their economies while guaranteeing the well-being of their people in the aftermath of the pandemic.

I thank you.”