The member countries of the Bolivian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Trade Agreement between the Peoples (ALBA-TCP) express our regret and concern about the worsening of the serious crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic that has already caused more two million deaths, reaching the staggering number of more than 11,000 people killed per day so far in 2021 and that require global efforts and responses based on unity, solidarity and cooperation.
We reiterate that the application of unilateral coercive measures in the context of a pandemic aims to: weaken the central role of the State, impede the development of national strategies that strengthen health and social protection systems, hinder universal access in equitable and affordable conditions to vaccines and treatments developed for to face the COVID-19. In short, it intends to undermine the response capacity of countries and causes untold suffering the entire population.
We emphasize that these measures, of markedly extraterritorial in nature seek to reducing the exercise of international solidarity and cooperation, depriving the peoples of benefits from the mechanisms of South-South Cooperation.
We condemn, in this sense, the imposition of unilateral coercive measures and underline their aggravated consequences in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. These measures have a clear impact on the enjoyment of human rights by citizens. It deliberately prevents the right to health and life.
We urge the States to refrain from promulgating and unilaterally applying economic, financial or commercial measures, especially in the current health situation, as stated in resolution 74/306 of the General Assembly itself, entitled “Comprehensive and coordinated response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”.
We remember the call made to all States, by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 75/181, to cease adopting or implementing any unilateral measures not in accordance with international law, international humanitarian law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States, i, in particular those of a coercive nature, with all their extraterritorial effects, which create obstacles to trade relations among States, thus impeding the full realization of the rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments, in particular the right of individuals and peoples to development.
We also recall the statements made by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Food and on the Negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, in which the cessation of these policies is advocated.
We demand the immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures, which seek to prevent the affected countries from effectively facing Covid-19. In this context, we reiterate our strong rejection of the imposition of these measures, that affect human rights and hinder the full economic and social development of the peoples subject to them, in addition which violate International Law and the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
Caracas, January 26th, 2021