General Assembly Proclaims 4 December International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, Elects Members to United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
Adopting a text aimed at promoting awareness about unilateral coercive measures, the General Assembly today also elected members to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
By a recorded vote of 116 in favour to 51 against, with 6 abstentions (Bahamas, Kazakhstan, Panama, Paraguay, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates), the Assembly today adopted a resolution on “International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures” (document A/79/L.93). By its terms, the Assembly decided to proclaim 4 December as the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, to be observed annually, beginning in 2025. It also urged States once again to refrain from adopting, promulgating and applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
Introducing that draft, Eritrea’s representative, speaking for the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, said that such measures — commonly cloaked in the misleading language of sanctions — are not instruments of justice, but “tools of political and economic compulsion”. They are increasingly promulgated and applied against the States in her group, she noted, adding that “they punish millions of people worldwide, blocking access to food, medicines, technology and development”. Their extraterritorial effects extend even further, destabilizing global supply chains and threatening international cooperation. While some may seek to force a vote and dismiss this resolution as symbolic, she said: “Let us be clear: symbols matter. They are expressions of collective conscience sympathy and understanding.” In her national capacity, she added that her country has been a victim of bundles of unjust sanctions, whose ulterior political motives are too evident to merit explanation.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region already observes 24 October as an anti-sanctions day, said Zimbabwe’s delegate, speaking for the Community, describing this as a collective expression of regional solidarity. The region “is no stranger to this injustice” — for over two decades, his own country has endured a unilaterally imposed sanctions regime, which has “restricted access to concessional finance, disrupted trade and investment, impeded innovation and slowed down infrastructure development,” he said.
However, the representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, said sanctions are among the peaceful tools at the disposal of the Security Council to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. “The dire consequences of not taking action to uphold the UN Charter in such grave situations should be a central part of discussions,” he said. Grave violations and abuses, including the killing of human rights defenders, as well as nuclear proliferation, are key priorities for both the UN and European Union. “This should not be swept under the carpet by simplistic and divisive unilateral coercive measures rhetoric,” he said. The bloc’s measures are tailored to target specific actors, not impact access to food, medicines or humanitarian aid.
Along similar lines, the representative of the United States said that autonomous sanctions are an effective tool for responding to “malign activity” and “to address the most abhorrent and destabilizing activities of our time”, such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transnational organized crime. Rejecting allegations that his country’s sanctions exacerbate human suffering or undermine development, he said it takes concrete actions to avoid any humanitarian impact.
Countries Targeted by Unilateral Coercive Measures Question Claims Such Measures Are Useful, Effective
Several countries, many of them targets of unilateral coercive measures, questioned this narrative. Elio Eduardo Rodríguez Perdomo, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said that the economic embargo by the United States against Cuba is “an absolute, unwavering, pitiless war” — mercilessly imposed to cause hunger and shortages among the Cuban people. “The goal is to break the political will of our country” to “clearly to cut Cuba’s economic link with the rest of the world”, he said.
Expressing solidarity with Cuba and its people, Yván Gil Pinto, Minister of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, said that unilateral coercive measures infringe on the sovereign and inalienable rights of States to choose their economic system without coercion. The humanitarian exceptions to these measures are a “fantasy” he said, calling for the establishment of a “safe space” free of such measures. He also pointed to a new generation of these illegal measures. “The so-called tariffs” that are being imposed today pursue similar objectives to the unilateral coercive measures that the United States Government has embraced for decades, he concluded.
The representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said that such measures are not only “economic terrorism”, but also a mass violation of human rights since they undermine sovereignty and the right of developing countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Russian Federation’s delegate highlighted the sanctions imposed by the West on his country’s agricultural sector. In recent years, Western countries have “outdone themselves”, essentially raiding and seizing the assets of the Russian Federation’s central bank, he said. They also want to “deprive” the States of the Global South from the ability to pursue an independent domestic and foreign policy, he said.
Impact on Development, Survival of Global South
Several speakers from the Global South highlighted the impact of unilateral coercive measures on their development and survival. Iraq’s representative, speaking for the Group of 77 and China, noted how they restrict access to food, medicines, vaccines and medical equipment, as was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The representative of Gabon, speaking for the African Group, said that, at a time when Africa is emerging as a hub for development and technological advances, these measures curb access to tools, partnerships and finances. They have also hampered post-conflict development, reconstruction and peacebuilding; they should be reviewed in the context of peace and justice, as well as reparations for Africa. Uganda’s delegate, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, noted that such measures and embargoes have even resulted in the failure of States to meet their assessed contributions to the United Nations in a timely manner.
Other speakers pointed out that unilateral coercive measures rupture multilateralism itself. Malaysia’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the imposition of such measures is often done without consulting the multilateral process — it is an “exclusionary approach”, isolating entire populations from the global economy.
His counterpart from China said the measures “place the domestic laws of one country above international law and the laws of other countries”. Sanctions imposed willfully without authorization from the Security Council also disregard the authority of that body’s collective decision-making mechanism, he pointed out, adding that they replace “dialogue and consultation with coercion and power politics”.
Text Misrepresents Nature of Sanctions
After the vote, several delegates who voted against the resolution explained why they disagreed with that assessment. Canada’s speaker said the text misrepresents the nature of autonomous sanctions. They are a legitimate tool of foreign policy and are not directed at civilians. His country implements them judiciously and transparently, he said. He also pointed to the double standards that underlie this initiative, noting that several countries who support this text impose their own autonomous sanctions.
“Our sanctions apply only to UK [United Kingdom] persons and interactions with UK economy,” that country’s representative said. They have clearly defined purposes and the sanctions list is public, with reasons set out for such designation. Further, this resolution has been deliberately crafted to be divisive, he added.
Japan’s delegate also said the text is intended to incite division, which is contrary to the spirit of an International Day. Further, it contradicts the Assembly’s decision to consider this agenda item biennially, he said. The resolution requests additional annual plenary meetings to commemorate the International Day, but it is obviously intended to “neutralize what the GA has agreed already”, he said. Adding to that, Australia’s delegate expressed concern about the proliferation of International Days.
27 June Proclaimed International Day of Deafblindness
Adopted today, without a vote, was a resolution titled “International Day of Deafblindness” (document A/79/L.92), by which the Assembly decided to proclaim 27 June as International Day of Deafblindness and invited all Member States and UN agencies to promote the empowerment and inclusion of deafblind individuals in all aspects of society.
Introducing that text, Croatia’ delegate said that persons with disabilities represent the world’s largest minority group. “It is the only minority group that any one of us may join at any time, whether through birth, illness, accident or ageing,” he added. This resolution is the first in General Assembly history to specifically address deafblindness as a unique and distinct disability. Further, the proposed date, 27 June, commemorates the birth of renowned author Helen Keller, one of the most iconic figures in the deafblindness community, he pointed out.
The representative of the United States said that it is important not to emphasize one disability or condition over another. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December encompasses all persons with disabilities, he said, while Israel’s delegate said that negotiations on this important text were regrettably misused for political purposes, diverting attention away from its core mission of advancing the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
Draft Adopted to Advance UN-Gulf Cooperation Council Cooperation
A text on “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council” (document A/79/L.91) was also adopted today, without a vote. By its terms, the Assembly welcomed the enhanced partnership between the UN and the Gulf Cooperation Council in the areas of conflict prevention and resolution and mediation. It further requested the UN Secretariat support capacity-building initiatives within the conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Introducing that text, Kuwait’s delegate, noting the forty-fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Council, said it has proven to be “a pillar of stability” and “a voice of moderation”. The text calls for practical steps for strengthening the Council’s partnership with the United Nations through annual high-level strategic meetings, as well as institutional capacity-building in preventive diplomacy and crisis management.
The delegates of Argentina and the United States dissociated themselves from references to the Pact for the Future.
Ukraine, Netherlands Elected Members of United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
The Assembly also elected — in one round of restricted ballot voting — Ukraine, from among the Eastern European States, as a member of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), for a six-year term beginning on 7 July 2025 and expiring on the last day prior to the beginning of the sixty-fourth session of the Commission in 2031. For the same term, it also declared the Netherlands elected as a member of that Commission, dispensing with the secret ballot since the number of nominated candidates corresponded to the number of seats to be filled.
Implementation of Declaration of Commitment, Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS
The Assembly also concluded its debate on the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declaration on HIV/AIDS.