North Korea, other member states urge UN to help lift unilateral sanctions



COVID-19 North Korea, other member states urge UN to help lift unilateral sanctions Sanctions impeding ability to fight COVID-19, eight countries tell Secretary General António Guterres Oliver Hotham March 26, 2020 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Martin Hearn via Flickr \| CC 2.0 North Korea and seven other member states have requested the UN push for the full lifting of unilateral sanctions against them, a letter signed by the countries showed Thursday, arguing that the measures hinder their ability to respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While not naming the U.S., the note sees the DPRK, as well as Cuba, China, Syria, Iran, Nicaragua, Russia, and Venezuela urge UN Secretary General António Guterres to push for the “immediate lifting” of “coercive measures” that hamper efforts to fight the coronavirus. “The destructive impact of said measures at the national level, plus their extraterritorial implications… hinder the ability of national governments to, among others have regular access to the international financial system or to free trade,” the letter says. These measures, it adds, were “undermining ongoing efforts of national governments to attack the COVID-19, especially in relation to the effective and timely procurement of medical equipment and supplies.” “We must avoid the collapse of any country’s medical and health system as a result of the application of illegal sanctions,” the letter continues. “We cannot allow for political calculations to get in the way of saving lives.” The devastating outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked global calls for a relaxation of sanctions against, among others, North Korea and Iran. The office of the UN Secretary General is yet to formally respond to Thursday’s letter. North Korea officially claims no cases of COVID-19 within its territory \| Photo: DPRK Today But speaking Thursday at a video conference of world leaders, Secretary General Guterres echoed its calls, and “appealed for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine [a] country’s capacity to respond to this pandemic.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also earlier this week said that sanctions had “impeded” the ability of countries — including North Korea — to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. has appeared to reject those calls, however, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday calling on member states to remain united in efforts to pressure North Korea into relinquishing its nuclear weapons. North Korea continues to deny having any cases of the highly-contagious COVID-19 within its borders, and last week touted its successes in achieving a “clean land” free of coronavirus. Edited by James Fretwell Foreign Relations Sanctions © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

COVID-19

North Korea, other member states urge UN to help lift unilateral sanctions

Sanctions impeding ability to fight COVID-19, eight countries tell Secretary General António Guterres

Oliver Hotham March 26, 2020

North Korea, other member states urge UN to help lift unilateral sanctions

North Korea and seven other member states have requested the UN push for the full lifting of unilateral sanctions against them, a letter signed by the countries showed Thursday, arguing that the measures hinder their ability to respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

While not naming the U.S., the note sees the DPRK, as well as Cuba, China, Syria, Iran, Nicaragua, Russia, and Venezuela urge UN Secretary General António Guterres to push for the “immediate lifting” of “coercive measures” that hamper efforts to fight the coronavirus.

“The destructive impact of said measures at the national level, plus their extraterritorial implications… hinder the ability of national governments to, among others have regular access to the international financial system or to free trade,” the letter says.

These measures, it adds, were “undermining ongoing efforts of national governments to attack the COVID-19, especially in relation to the effective and timely procurement of medical equipment and supplies.”

“We must avoid the collapse of any country’s medical and health system as a result of the application of illegal sanctions,” the letter continues.

“We cannot allow for political calculations to get in the way of saving lives.”

The devastating outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked global calls for a relaxation of sanctions against, among others, North Korea and Iran.

The office of the UN Secretary General is yet to formally respond to Thursday’s letter.

North Korea officially claims no cases of COVID-19 within its territory | Photo: DPRK Today

But speaking Thursday at a video conference of world leaders, Secretary General Guterres echoed its calls, and “appealed for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine [a] country’s capacity to respond to this pandemic.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also earlier this week said that sanctions had “impeded” the ability of countries — including North Korea — to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. has appeared to reject those calls, however, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday calling on member states to remain united in efforts to pressure North Korea into relinquishing its nuclear weapons.

North Korea continues to deny having any cases of the highly-contagious COVID-19 within its borders, and last week touted its successes in achieving a “clean land” free of coronavirus.

Edited by James Fretwell