The need to eliminate extraterritorial unilateral coercive economic measures used as an instrument of political and economic coercion is being discussed in the United Nations General Assembly. teleSUR
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00:00The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Ivan Gil, earlier had an intervention before
00:05the UN just minutes ago regarding the coercive measures placed on his country.
00:10Let's listen.
00:11Of the group of friends in defense of the Charter of the United Nations, whose member
00:19states from the very outset would like to thank you for convening this historic debate
00:27on a subject to which they attach particular importance, it has been almost 14 years since
00:33the last time the General Assembly held a proper debate on this item, which was the
00:41first introduced into the body's agenda back in 1996.
00:48The issue of unilateral coercive and extratorritorial measures was addressed.
00:54This was a relevant subject at the time, and it still is today in light of the international
01:01circumstances.
01:04At the beginning of this statement, I would like to take the floor to call upon the General
01:07Assembly to take appropriate measures in order to ensure that in the light of the – that
01:20the application of unilateral extratorritorial coercive economic measures ends as quickly
01:25as possible.
01:26This matter must be addressed much more periodically within our assembly.
01:29Unilateral coercive measures exert economic and financial pressure on any country that
01:34is targeted, particularly developing countries.
01:36These are illegal measures.
01:38They represent a clear violation, among others, of the very tenets enshrined in the Charter
01:42of the United Nations of the most basic norms of international law, including the provisions
01:49of various texts.
01:52I am referring in particular to those texts that cover friendly relations and cooperation
01:59among states, the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States as well.
02:08This policy of the imposition of unilateral coercive measures has failed.
02:13It is one of – one of the most striking examples of this is that of Cuba, which for
02:17over 60 years now has been suffering under these measures.
02:22We renew our unwavering solidarity here with the people and government of Cuba while urging
02:30once again the government of the United States of America to immediately and unconditionally
02:36put an end to this blockade imposed on a – excluded from the arbitrary and unilateral list of
02:47state sponsors of terrorism.
02:48Mr. President, the promulgation and application of unilateral coercive measures has no basis
02:53under international law.
02:55These measures are unjustified and illegal.
02:57It is important to be clear in this regard.
03:05As nations applying these unilateral coercive measures seek to impose a false narrative
03:12on the entire world in order to deliberately confuse and mislead the international community
03:20as they seek to justify and even legitimize such illegal policies, this is unacceptable.
03:26In this context, it should also be noted that different to what some countries pretend to
03:32portray financial transactions or the provision of goods and services necessary for human
03:40assistance and basic human needs are in fact affected by the very existence of unilateral
03:46coercive measures, including as a result of the fear of so-called secondary sanctions.
04:03It is an illusion to believe that these measures do not have an impact.
04:07In practice, they have been proven to be ineffective or rather non-existent.
04:19Unilateral coercive measures are very clearly a crime against humanity.
04:21They constitute a massive violation of human rights.
04:25They deprive entire populations of their very means of subsistence.
04:33We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived or convinced otherwise.
04:38Mr. President, today the reality is that 30 countries around the world, including many
04:44from our group, are directly affected by these unilateral coercive measures that have a daily
04:50impact on the lives of over a third of humanity.
04:54This reality, needless to say, has created a systemic crisis in the entire system of
05:02international relations that not only continues to erode multilateralism, but also increases
05:08uncertainty, instability, mistrust and tensions around the world.
05:14Therefore, they constitute a global problem that requires a global solution and, therefore,
05:22the importance of today's debate.
05:25We are currently seeing a new generation of these illegal measures, which are now much
05:30more cruel and destructive than ever before.
05:36This new generation of so-called very poorly named sanctions is exploiting the suffering
05:41of entire peoples to exert subjugation, domination and intervention.
05:51Development plans of the nations subject to these so-called sanctions, including for the
05:56implementation of the SDG Agenda, are currently being hindered due to these measures of subjection
06:02and domination imposed on sovereign and independent nations.
06:06We have to say this clearly.
06:08It endangers life and the well-being of peoples.
06:12At the same time, it creates obstacles to international cooperation and limits states'
06:19capacities that are subject to it to be able to invest in technology, foreign technology,
06:26necessary services, to address environmental issues especially.
06:34Mr. Chairman, President, against the backdrop of the emergence of a multipolar world, unilateral
06:42coercive measures have also become a means of unfair competition in the markets.
06:49Reserve currencies are used as weapons of oppression.
06:53Sovereign property is arbitrarily blocked or even confiscated.
07:00As a result, any country that is more or less dependent on Western markets, technology and
07:10financial assistance, and which may also have reserves in Western jurisdictions, is
07:17prone to facing the risk of a complete loss of its assets.
07:23With such measures in place, amongst other aims, it is not difficult to imagine the strangling
07:31of the Global South and the undermining of the potential for its dynamic economic development.
07:36The ultimate goal is eliminating a competitor and consolidating the position of the developing
07:42world as a mere vendor of raw commodities.
07:47Whether we see it or not, unilateral coercive measures affect us all, either directly or
07:56indirectly.
07:58On targeted nations, these measures have a negative impact on the enjoyment and the full
08:04realization of human rights, including, among others, the right to development, the right
08:10to food and health, the right of everyone to a standard of living adequate for his or
08:17her health, medical care, education, necessary social services, as well as procurement of
08:22goods and services, financial and technical assistance, technology transfer, and capacity
08:26building.
08:27At the global level, they are deliberately exacerbating the multifaceted crisis humanity
08:32is facing today, including its energy and food security dimensions, while severing supply
08:39chains and disrupting the markets.
08:41They will continue not only to negatively impact the global economy as a whole, but
08:47they also cause and prolong human suffering around the world.
08:54Hence our call to put an immediate end to all of these illegal measures.
09:02Mr. President, it is worth asking, for example, how much could Zimbabwe contribute to alleviating
09:09the global food insecurity crisis were it free from the application of unilateral coercive
09:16measures?
09:17How much could Belarus contribute to alleviating that very same crisis should it be allowed
09:22to freely trade its fertilizers?
09:25How much could Iran, Russia, or Syria contribute to alleviating the global energy crisis should
09:32unilateral coercive measures on them be lifted?
09:36And were they able to trade without limits or discrimination of any type on their oil
09:42and gas?
09:43Wouldn't Venezuela be able to boost cooperation with the Caribbean and others from its region,
09:49particularly in the energy field, through programs such as PetroCaribe that provide
09:55advantageous compensation mechanisms for the procurement of oil?
10:00How much could Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria,
10:06and all other countries subjected to these illegal regimes contribute to overcoming our
10:11common challenges if these so-called sanctions were eliminated and if they could all fully
10:18pursue their productive potentials?
10:22We have a responsibility historically to building together and making a reality that new and
10:28possible world of peace and development for all.
10:34It is our responsibility for this generation and future generations, and that's why we're
10:38talking about it today.
10:41Mr. President, in the absence of the elimination of unilateral coercive measures and cognizant
10:48firsthand of their impediments, among others, on the ability to freely carry out trade
10:53and investment among independent and sovereign nations, we express first and foremost our
10:59commitment to a multilateral system anchored in the Charter of the United Nations, also
11:07our determination to explore potential ways and means to secure a framework or a platform
11:15that is truly independent and respectful of international law, a platform that would make
11:20it possible for us to carry out financial transactions and payments amongst banks around
11:25the world.
11:28What we are saying here is we need to identify ways and means to counter, mitigate, and redress
11:36the adverse impacts of unilateral coercive measures.
11:41This would include through the potential establishment of a safe zone that would be
11:46free of unilateral sanctions, a zone in which we can trade and process payments without
11:52hazards or arbitrary impediments of a punitive nature, the purpose of which would be to ensure
11:58both the well-being of our peoples and the development of our nations.
12:03Another possibility would be through the enactment of a concrete roadmap that would allow reduction
12:09of dependency on international trade and on national currencies that are prone to
12:13being used to implement unilateral coercive measures or they are used to sustain a particular
12:19state's monetary hegemony over the global economy.
12:23Similarly, we should also acknowledge the legitimate claims in accordance with the relevant
12:29norms of international law by the affected states, whether they be affected directly
12:34or indirectly, and this is particularly true of states and individuals that are specifically
12:40targeted by unilateral coercive measures, for compensation from states imposing such
12:46measures, for the damages incurred as a consequence of the existence, promulgation, and application
12:52of such unlawful measures.
12:55Mr. President, allow me now to conclude with six messages.
12:59First, we would like to express our gratitude to all groups and delegations, regional groups,
13:05that will be participating in today's debate.
13:08We are grateful for their ongoing solidarity with nations and peoples subjected to the
13:13application of unilateral coercive measures, and we are grateful for their continued support
13:18to the global cause in favor of the realization of a world free of so-called sanctions.
13:25Second, by urging the Secretary of the United Nations to present a report with its relevant
13:31findings following the General Assembly's request to monitor the imposition of unilateral
13:36economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion, and its request to
13:43study the negative impact of such illegal measures on the affected countries, which
13:47would include the impact on trade and development, the role of the Secretariat in raising awareness
13:54about this issue, which has global implications, as we said earlier, cannot be overemphasized.
14:03Third message, we call on all responsible members of the international community to
14:10prevent this reality from being minimized or ignored.
14:15This would include within the context of ongoing intergovernmental processes currently underway
14:21at the United Nations.
14:23If we are truly committed to honoring our pledge of leaving no one behind, then the
14:28time has come for us all to redress unilateral coercive measures in a comprehensive and effective
14:35manner.
14:36That is in the interest of the well-being of we, the peoples of the United Nations.
14:41A first step in the right direction would be, for example, the inclusion of this matter
14:46in the recently agreed conclusions and recommendations of the 2024 Financing for Development Forum.
14:55We trust this will also be the case in the outcome documents of the upcoming Summit of
15:00the Future.
15:02We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug or shy away from discussing it when it
15:08is an issue of an existential nature for millions of people around the world.
15:15Fourth message, by firmly calling on all states to refrain from promulgating, recognizing,
15:20and or implementing unilateral coercive measures as a political means, we would include the
15:26context of bilateral relations.
15:28The purpose of this is, among others, to bring pressure to bear or force sovereign will of
15:34another state, including as part of a regime change policy.
15:40Fifth, we call on all international organizations and international financial institutions to
15:49refrain from recognizing, supporting, implementing, or de facto complying with unilateral coercive
15:56measures.
15:58And sixth message, we reiterate our firm commitment to sparing no effort in preserving, promoting,
16:05and defending the prevalence and validity of the Charter of the United Nations, for
16:11which it is necessary, among other things, that unilateral coercive measures be lifted
16:16in a complete, immediate, and unconditional manner so that they do not exist in the world
16:22today.
16:23Mr. President, if I may now, in my national capacity, I would like to make some additional
16:30comments.
16:31Mr. President, from at least 2014, the criminal attitude of the government of the United States,
16:40working with sectors of the right and the corrupt ultra-right in Latin America, has
16:47been working against Venezuela and implementing one of the most aggressive programs against
16:54this country in history.
16:57It is all about a policy of regime change being imposed on a people which, in building
17:02its independence and freedom, has refused to cede to this blackmail and insists on being
17:10a master of its own destiny.
17:13They have brought about a campaign of maximum pressure to bear on my country, full of legal
17:20and financial falsity and lies against our country.
17:25Criminal laws, executive orders that are harmful, lists of people that are sanctioned,
17:31and lists of sanctions specifically against our country, all of this in keeping with this
17:37criminal structure put in place which claims to legitimize and justify an illegal policy
17:45of extraterritorial intervention.
17:50This is the behavior of a decadent imperial empire to support a weak international system.
17:59This systematic, sustained economic terrorism against our country, with more than 930 laws
18:07against us applied by the EU, the United States, and satellite countries, has led to the seizure
18:14of assets and property of Venezuelan people, has prevented – they've prevented bank
18:19transfers and interrupted, amongst others, the debt payment and interest payments by
18:27the republic.
18:29They have prevented the purchase of machinery and other inputs from the international market.
18:34They have paralyzed international services, brought pressure to bear to stimulate economic
18:42growth of third countries, like working with Venezuela, and created obstacles to the import
18:47of essential goods and services to guarantee the well-being of the Venezuelan people.
18:53Mr. President, these measures, which in modern practice are colonialism, have been – led
19:02to the collapse of the national economy in Venezuela and led to a multifaceted crisis
19:07which is without precedent, which translated into a negative impact of the public and private
19:12economy of our country.
19:16The promoters of these crimes against humanity have been recognized.
19:22We must address this as an agony, a tragedy, which will continue until finally it reaches
19:29the end.
19:30And if we can do something to accelerate it, we should.
19:34But we should do so understanding that this will have an impact on millions of people
19:39who are already in difficulty in finding medicine and food.
19:43We cannot do this and claim that it will not have an impact.
19:47We must take a hard decision.
19:50The ends justify the severe punishment.
19:54This confession – this is a confession of one of the criminals, William Bronson, representative
20:03of the genocidal government of the United States of America.
20:08As a product of the unilateral coercion of these measures between 2015 and 2022, Venezuela
20:25is producing 3,000 – 3.2 billion barrels of oil, which is equivalent to some $230 billion.
20:47Until 2022, the damage caused to the domestic economy of our country is estimated at $240
21:00billion.
21:02That means that the loss caused to Venezuela was greater than the international reserves
21:12of all the 11 countries in the rest of Latin America.
21:17In short, the coercive unilateral measures against businesses, ships, airplanes, and
21:26other Venezuelan assets that we need to add to that – the confiscation and seizure of
21:35$13 billion in various international banks and multilateral organization – has made
21:44Venezuela the fifth country in the world with the most people punished, the sixth country
21:53with more companies that are affected, in the fourth state with most ships that have
22:01been harmed, and the third country with the most airplanes that are affected by these
22:09destructive and criminal measures.
22:12To evade their international responsibility given these crimes that were committed, however,
22:18financial rules have been imposed on this whole range of unilateral coercive measures
22:25that claim to avoid the omission of known licenses.
22:31In reality, these licenses, and in some cases, were just a euphemism presented as – to
22:38cover supposed humanitarian exemptions.
22:42This is a mechanism of economic neocolonialism, which establishes conditions for states that
22:50are harmed and adjusts them to the political and economic interests of the private corporations
22:55and the government of the aggressor state.
22:59In short, what we're dealing with here is licenses or concessions to dominate, to administer
23:05pain, to deepen and extend the time of the structural ties of dependency economically
23:11and financially, sustained by an international system which is unfair and desired, tailor-made
23:19to the interests of the North, to undermine the sovereignty and self-determination of
23:25peoples.
23:26Mr. President, given the application of coercive measures, Venezuela has made significant progress
23:31in achieving the STGs, and with that, there has been optimism and an optimal and timely
23:39achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
23:43This progress has been affected, however, by the extortionist policies of the United
23:49States and other governments that are subservient to its imperial interests and so-called domination.
23:57Today, the recovery of the Venezuelan people is due to its own effort.
24:01With dignity and morally, it's claiming its possibility to lift itself beyond the
24:07criminal sanctions and to lift off with greater strength and fully exercise its right to development.
24:14The blockade against financial transactions in the areas of food, health care, education,
24:20and public services that have been widespread since 2016 have translated into real restrictions
24:25that continue today, they persist.
24:28And this is different from what the aggressors would say to international public opinion.
24:32And with the support of huge media corporations that are trying to turn our faces away and
24:38make us not see this, all of this is part of a policy of maximum cruelty, which is calculated
24:45to create as much pain and suffering as possible for all of Venezuelan society.
24:49It's truly collective punishment, due to which either earlier or later, the promoters
24:56will have to be held accountable before international justice.
24:59Now, despite all of their attacks, aggressions, undermining, and pillaging, which are reflected
25:08in this cruel and inhuman measures, unilateral coercive measures imposed on our country,
25:13the government of President Maduro has never set aside what we consider to be most essential,
25:19and that is the protection of our people through social investment.
25:24Mr. President, unilateral coercive measures have been focused on blocking and confiscating
25:33the Venezuelan state's assets abroad through an international financial system and arbitrary
25:39tribunals in foreign countries.
25:41And this has been done in combination with a strategy of aggression using force or the
25:46threat of the use of force, thereby undermining and jeopardizing international law and the
25:52provisions of the United Nations Charter.
25:54In the case of Venezuela, the so-called sanctions operate as a sort of curtain, a cover or veil
26:01to hide the criminal operations of theft and looting of our country's assets.
26:11And that's why we see the need and duty here to denounce from this August Tribune the attempt
26:21of illegally stripping our country of its main assets, which is the seventh largest
26:27oil company of – which – and this is a company which is indisputably a sovereign
26:37patrimony of the Venezuelan people.
26:40And here we're referring to the company called Sitco Petroleum Corporation, which
26:44is the main asset of Venezuela in the United States and property of the Venezuelan oil
26:50state, which has been blocked since 2019.
26:55And due to the war operations, the lawfare, as it's called in the United States, by
27:00the Delaware Tribunal with the support of fictitious entities which are only recognized
27:05by Washington and supposed Venezuelan representatives, is now very much at risk of being undermined
27:11to the benefit of U.S. and Canadian corporations.
27:14It's for this reason that in this very room we disassociated ourselves from the election
27:25of the President in this General Assembly.
27:27They're perpetuating the farce in order to continue with their local agents, continue
27:32eluding all the assets of our people and our country and beyond.
27:36We cannot but mention also the impact of sanctions on the economy and global and regional development.
27:44Energy security has been seriously impacted by these measures.
27:48And here what we see is the productive capacity of the country with the greatest oil reserves
27:52in the world impacted.
27:54The Petro Caribe program, which is the most fabulous company of solidarity, cooperation
28:00in our region, was very much attacked, vilely, with the only purpose of creating inhuman
28:08damage to a dozen of countries that were participating in this program.
28:13Mr. President, in opting for sovereignty and the exercise its inalienable right to self-determination
28:21and in opting for our right to freely elect our governance system and economic model that
28:27suits us, the Venezuelan people have shown that dignity has no price.
28:32And that is why all the unilateral coercive measures have failed.
28:37And in the future, they are destined to continue failing spectacularly, not only for the good
28:44of Venezuela, but also given the accelerate erosion of the supremacist and arrogant spirit
28:52behind those who impose these illegal, cruel, inhuman, and genocidal measures.
28:59Every day that this policy continues against Venezuela, alternative capacity of economics,
29:06political, social, and cultural development of its people will be empowered and made a
29:11reality.
29:12For each measure which seeks to freeze an asset, a service, monetary value, or transaction,
29:21Venezuela will unleash a whole torrent of new opportunities.
29:26To demonstrate this, let me give you one example.
29:28That suffices.
29:30At the moment of the blockade of the economic war against Venezuela, the nation was able
29:35to achieve a 95 percent index.
29:40Although there are continued challenges, this number has then been invested, and we now
29:46have 97 percent of food self-sufficiency and self-supply in our country, even though
29:53they tried to strip us of our supplies.
29:55Today, with our own efforts, the Venezuelan economy has begun a process of recovery with
30:01figures that are quite higher, much higher than other countries in the region, as set
30:05forth by ECLAC and other specialized bodies.
30:11Their data indicates this.
30:13Mr. President, on the 28th of July, Venezuela will hold presidential elections for the period
30:202025 to 2023.
30:23The electoral environment of peace and civic duty will lead to 11 candidates and 37 political
30:31parties in this election, which represents an ideological spectrum and national policy
30:38and is providing a great political public debate today in our country in the streets
30:42of Venezuela.
30:44The sanctions which were stipulated and supported by the political opposition, which are servile
30:51and directed by Washington, are at the center of this electoral debate.
30:57No doubt they will lose in the electoral failure, and there will be a failure of the attempt
31:06to impose on the Venezuelan people a colonial regime with fascist practices, which is absolutely
31:13anachronic given the Monroe Doctrine, which pretends to convert us into their backdoor.
31:20The sanctions and anti-democratic model, neo-liberal model of hungry, poverty, pain, and suffering
31:28and coercion will be overcome once again and fail.
31:32And the Bolivarian principles of sovereignty and independence most likely will prevail
31:37in our elections, bringing President Maduro to yet another presidential term.
31:44The 28th of July, we will see a confirmation in our elections of a resounding democratic
31:50cry upon the Venezuelan people.