UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures:
“Sanctions will not only affect the lives of people in society but will also affect the process of international peace and security.”
Professor Alena Douhan said: “First of all, I would like to thank the organizers of this conference, which was held virtually by the Foundation of dialogue and solidarity of United Nations, this is not the first time I have participated in events organized by the Foundation, while personally examining the impact of unilateral sanctions on life, Communities as well as their impact on international peace and security, and I will share them with you today. In today‘s world, we see the use of various methods, mechanisms and types of unilateral sanctions against other nations. “We are dealing with the effects of secondary sanctions and targeted sanctions.”
Commenting on the impact of unilateral sanctions, Prof. Alena Douhan added: “I will give a few examples of the fact that sanctions imposed on parts of a nation’s economy violate the economic and social rights of individuals. The salaries of government employees will be reduced and they will not even be able to meet their basic needs and this restriction of basic goods puts people into unconventional and sometimes threatening areas. In all countries under sanctions, the unemployment rate is rising, resulting in people engaging in illegal activities such as trafficking, some of whom seek refuge in neighboring states, one of which is a good example of this claim. “The number of Afghan refugees in Iran is proven. According to official international statistics today, 3.7 million Afghan citizens live informally in Iran, and it is the Iranian government that must manage their needs.”
The UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures added: “Another dimension of the crisis is affecting the health sector. To exchange money for vaccines needed by the people, for example, the Venezuelan government failed to provide some vaccines for children between 2016 and 2018, and as a result, 2.5 million children were deprived of this gift, a problem that only subsided when UNICEF has stepped in. The same is true of the corona vaccine. Many countries, especially Iran and Venezuela, have joined the COVAX program to get the vaccine they need, but reports indicate they have major problems moving money through global banking systems. “As a result, they have difficulty importing vaccines. Of course, today’s sanctions claim that the medical sector will not be harmed in any way, which is a lie.”
She then referred to one of the cases of deprivation of the Iranian people due to unilateral sanctions: “In one of my studies, I came across the issue of butterfly children in Iran. While Iranian children suffer from this skin disease, Iran can not provide the necessary bandages for these children. They will not be able to endure this suffering without receiving this medical equipment and will stay in this world for a shorter period of time because the company that used to provide this equipment to Iran is now afraid of boycotting the field. “One of the most controversial medical issues in Iran today is access to insulin.”
“It is worth noting that sanctions not only affect the lives of people within the community, but also the international peace and security process. As you know, some countries are affected by the Syrian crisis,” Alena Douhan said. Extensive migration in recent years has recently been recognized by the UN Security Council as a serious threat to international peace and security. Is a fertile ground for the seeds of terrorism to grow among them.
The UN Special Rapporteur concluded: “Unfortunately, these days, unilateral sanctions have disrupted interbank transactions and the obligations of private companies and ability to conduct direct banking transactions and trade activities in the heavy shadow of sanctions. As a result, the activities that take place in this space will be secretive and opaque, and as a result, the goods and money exchanged will become uncontrollable. The only way to do that is for countries and companies to have a multi-level dialogue at the international level, thereby achieving risk-free unified strategies and protecting their people from sanctions and their effects. . ”.