00:00interpreters' indulgence, we will hear one last speaker for this morning, the Distinguished
00:03Representative of Brazil.
00:20Mr. President,
00:22my delegation associates itself with the statement of Uganda on behalf of the G77
00:29and China. We thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this timely meeting.
00:35Brazil has long sustained that unilateral, extraterritorial, coercive economic measures
00:40have no legal basis in international law. They violate the fundamental principles of national
00:47sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. Deprived of international
00:53legality, they lack legitimacy and weaken multilateralism. The impact of UCMs extends
01:02well beyond the legal and political realms. Such measures have severe social consequences,
01:09as more often than not, they lead to or aggravate economic crisis. They contribute to poverty,
01:18inequality and, in many cases, personal suffering as a result of shortages of food,
01:24medicine and essential goods. In other words, the brunt of sanctions is borne by regular citizens
01:31without the slightest influence on, much less responsibility for, whatever sanctioning states
01:38or groups of states wish to punish foreign governments for. The purported targeted nature
01:45of some sanctions is not necessarily so. Even when it is, measures may have serious collective
01:59implications depending on the target. The problem is further aggravated by the fact that UCMs have
02:06proven ineffective in achieving their declared goals. Some sanctions have been applied for
02:12decades now, while policies they seek to change remain firmly in place. In light of
02:19these considerations, the international community must continue to condemn UCMs
02:24and clearly sustain key principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
