Friends in Defense of the UN Charter denounce 'maximum calculated cruelty' of the MCU
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Published at: 04/12/2025 01:08 PM
The permanent representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Samuel Moncada, reiterated this Thursday the devastating effect of unilateral coercive measures (MCU) and called on the multilateral body not to recognize the application of these criminal tools and promote their immediate uprising.
On behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, during the Informal Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate and promote the “International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures”, from New York, Moncada stressed that celebrating this day for the first time, December 4, is not an arbitrary action, since it coincides with the anniversary of the adoption of the “Declaration on the Right to Development”.
“This coincidence is intentional and significant, since it constitutes a recognition of the fact that unilateral coercive measures constitute a direct, deliberate and systematic attack against the right to development (...) an inalienable human right that belongs to all people and all peoples,” he said.
In this regard, he criticized that more than a third of humanity, 76 countries, are victims of the strangulation of this right “systematically by illegal policies that can only be described as part of a campaign of 'maximum calculated cruelty'. These illegal measures obstruct the capacity of sovereign nations to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development,” he added.
Moncada indicated that MCUs “are weapons of economic war that can be as lethal as conventional weapons,” and cannot be legitimized by any political, ideological, humanitarian or other justification, because “by deliberately blocking access to finance, technology, medicines, food and essential goods, these illegal measures paralyze the productive potential of affected countries, cut supply chains and stifle investment.”
He also stressed that these measures also create artificial obstacles and direct threats to maritime trade. “By imposing illegal restrictions on access to maritime routes, supply corridors, and maritime insurance, they distort international markets through non-economic means, complicate logistics and raise prices for end consumers, with a greater impact on developing countries.”
In this context, the ambassador said that “the so-called 'humanitarian exemptions' are nothing more than cruel illusions”, so, based on the seriousness and global scale of this “assault on development, human rights and international cooperation”, “a coordinated response at the level of the entire United Nations System” is necessary.
For this reason, “on this first International Day, we call on the Secretary General (António Guterres) to appoint a 'Special Adviser on Unilateral Coercive Measures'. Such a high-level focal point is urgently required to assess the cross-cutting impacts of these illegal measures, as well as to ensure coherent responses at the level of the entire UN System and to account for their devastating effects on the right to development, humanitarian affairs, economic stability and global security, even with the support of UN Country Teams,” said the Venezuelan diplomat.
Finally, on behalf of the Group of Friends, he reiterated the call to completely and unconditionally lift all MCUs, “while urging all Member States of the Organization to refrain from recognizing, applying or giving effect to such illegal practices, even through overcompliance.”
MPPRE