Annalena Burbock in the General Assembly. Annalena Burbock: Unilateral measures would not be necessary if all countries respected the UN Charter International Law
Today marks the first International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures. An informal meeting was held in the General Assembly on this occasion. The President of the General Assembly, Annalena Bärbock, pointed out the key difference between unilateral coercive measures and those provided for in the UN Charter.
“As the name suggests, “unilateral” are measures taken by one side. And their goal is to force the other side to do something,” she said.
She stressed that such steps are fundamentally different from actions taken collectively by the Security Council or regional organizations under the UN Charter.
Unilateral coercive measures are not an abstract policy, Burbock said. She referred to the latest report of the Secretary-General, which described the consequences of such actions for developing countries and their people, including shortages of food and medical supplies, problems with the delivery of humanitarian aid, a slowing economy and rising inflation. ed.] have a real impact on people’s lives,” the President of the General Assembly emphasized.
Berbock noted that the negative effects are felt far beyond the borders of the individual countries against which such measures are directed. Chairman.
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Berbock also emphasized that UN member states agree: any restrictive measures must be in accordance with the Charter of the Organization and international law.
She added: “Such measures and sanctions would not be necessary if all Member States respected the principles of the UN Charter and their obligations under international law.”
Berbock called for dialogue instead of coercion and multilateralism instead single-sided.