Speech by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil at UN General Assembly
The need to eliminate extraterritorial unilateral coercive economic measures used as an instrument of political and economic coercion is being discussed in the United Nations General Assembly. teleSUR
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Ivan Gil, earlier had an intervention before
00:05the UN just minutes ago regarding the coercive measures placed on his country.
00:10Let's listen.
00:11Of the group of friends in defense of the Charter of the United Nations, whose member
00:19states from the very outset would like to thank you for convening this historic debate
00:27on a subject to which they attach particular importance, it has been almost 14 years since
00:33the last time the General Assembly held a proper debate on this item, which was the
00:41first introduced into the body's agenda back in 1996.
00:48The issue of unilateral coercive and extratorritorial measures was addressed.
00:54This was a relevant subject at the time, and it still is today in light of the international
01:01circumstances.
01:04At the beginning of this statement, I would like to take the floor to call upon the General
01:07Assembly to take appropriate measures in order to ensure that in the light of the – that
01:20the application of unilateral extratorritorial coercive economic measures ends as quickly
01:25as possible.
01:26This matter must be addressed much more periodically within our assembly.
01:29Unilateral coercive measures exert economic and financial pressure on any country that
01:34is targeted, particularly developing countries.
01:36These are illegal measures.
01:38They represent a clear violation, among others, of the very tenets enshrined in the Charter
01:42of the United Nations of the most basic norms of international law, including the provisions
01:49of various texts.
01:52I am referring in particular to those texts that cover friendly relations and cooperation
01:59among states, the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States as well.
02:08This policy of the imposition of unilateral coercive measures has failed.
02:13It is one of – one of the most striking examples of this is that of Cuba, which for
02:17over 60 years now has been suffering under these measures.
02:22We renew our unwavering solidarity here with the people and government of Cuba while urging
02:30once again the government of the United States of America to immediately and unconditionally
02:36put an end to this blockade imposed on a – excluded from the arbitrary and unilateral list of
02:47state sponsors of terrorism.
02:48Mr. President, the promulgation and application of unilateral coercive measures has no basis
02:53under international law.
02:55These measures are unjustified and illegal.
02:57It is important to be clear in this regard.
03:05As nations applying these unilateral coercive measures seek to impose a false narrative
03:12on the entire world in order to deliberately confuse and mislead the international community
03:20as they seek to justify and even legitimize such illegal policies, this is unacceptable.
03:26In this context, it should also be noted that different to what some countries pretend to
03:32portray financial transactions or the provision of goods and services necessary for human
03:40assistance and basic human needs are in fact affected by the very existence of unilateral
03:46coercive measures, including as a result of the fear of so-called secondary sanctions.
04:03It is an illusion to believe that these measures do not have an impact.
04:07In practice, they have been proven to be ineffective or rather non-existent.
04:19Unilateral coercive measures are very clearly a crime against humanity.
04:21They constitute a massive violation of human rights.
04:25They deprive entire populations of their very means of subsistence.
04:33We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived or convinced otherwise.
04:38Mr. President, today the reality is that 30 countries around the world, including many
04:44from our group, are directly affected by these unilateral coercive measures that have a daily
04:50impact on the lives of over a third of humanity.
04:54This reality, needless to say, has created a systemic crisis in the entire system of
05:02international relations that not only continues to erode multilateralism, but also increases
05:08uncertainty, instability, mistrust and tensions around the world.
05:14Therefore, they constitute a global problem that requires a global solution and, therefore,
05:22the importance of today's debate.
05:25We are currently seeing a new generation of these illegal measures, which are now much
05:30more cruel and destructive than ever before.
05:36This new generation of so-called very poorly named sanctions is exploiting the suffering
05:41of entire peoples to exert subjugation, domination and intervention.
05:51Development plans of the nations subject to these so-called sanctions, including for the
05:56implementation of the SDG Agenda, are currently being hindered due to these measures of subjection
06:02and domination imposed on sovereign and independent nations.
06:06We have to say this clearly.
06:08It endangers life and the well-being of peoples.
06:12At the same time, it creates obstacles to international cooperation and limits states'
06:19capacities that are subject to it to be able to invest in technology, foreign technology,
06:26necessary services, to address environmental issues especially.
06:34Mr. Chairman, President, against the backdrop of the emergence of a multipolar world, unilateral
06:42coercive measures have also become a means of unfair competition in the markets.
06:49Reserve currencies are used as weapons of oppression.
06:53Sovereign property is arbitrarily blocked or even confiscated.
07:00As a result, any country that is more or less dependent on Western markets, technology and
07:10financial assistance, and which may also have reserves in Western jurisdictions, is
07:17prone to facing the risk of a complete loss of its assets.
07:23With such measures in place, amongst other aims, it is not difficult to imagine the strangling
07:31of the Global South and the undermining of the potential for its dynamic economic development.
07:36The ultimate goal is eliminating a competitor and consolidating the position of the developing
07:42world as a mere vendor of raw commodities.
07:47Whether we see it or not, unilateral coercive measures affect us all, either directly or
07:56indirectly.
07:58On targeted nations, these measures have a negative impact on the enjoyment and the full
08:04realization of human rights, including, among others, the right to development, the right
08:10to food and health, the right of everyone to a standard of living adequate for his or
08:17her health, medical care, education, necessary social services, as well as procurement of
08:22goods and services, financial and technical assistance, technology transfer, and capacity
08:26building.
08:27At the global level, they are deliberately exacerbating the multifaceted crisis humanity
08:32is facing today, including its energy and food security dimensions, while severing supply
08:39chains and disrupting the markets.
08:41They will continue not only to negatively impact the global economy as a whole, but
08:47they also cause and prolong human suffering around the world.
08:54Hence our call to put an immediate end to all of these illegal measures.
09:02Mr. President, it is worth asking, for example, how much could Zimbabwe contribute to alleviating
09:09the global food insecurity crisis were it free from the application of unilateral coercive
09:16measures?
09:17How much could Belarus contribute to alleviating that very same crisis should it be allowed
09:22to freely trade its fertilizers?
09:25How much could Iran, Russia, or Syria contribute to alleviating the global energy crisis should
09:32unilateral coercive measures on them be lifted?
09:36And were they able to trade without limits or discrimination of any type on their oil
09:42and gas?
09:43Wouldn't Venezuela be able to boost cooperation with the Caribbean and others from its region,
09:49particularly in the energy field, through programs such as PetroCaribe that provide
09:55advantageous compensation mechanisms for the procurement of oil?
10:00How much could Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria,
10:06and all other countries subjected to these illegal regimes contribute to overcoming our
10:11common challenges if these so-called sanctions were eliminated and if they could all fully
10:18pursue their productive potentials?
10:22We have a responsibility historically to building together and making a reality that new and
10:28possible world of peace and development for all.
10:34It is our responsibility for this generation and future generations, and that's why we're
10:38talking about it today.
10:41Mr. President, in the absence of the elimination of unilateral coercive measures and cognizant
10:48firsthand of their impediments, among others, on the ability to freely carry out trade
10:53and investment among independent and sovereign nations, we express first and foremost our
10:59commitment to a multilateral system anchored in the Charter of the United Nations, also
11:07our determination to explore potential ways and means to secure a framework or a platform
11:15that is truly independent and respectful of international law, a platform that would make
11:20it possible for us to carry out financial transactions and payments amongst banks around
11:25the world.
11:28What we are saying here is we need to identify ways and means to counter, mitigate, and redress
11:36the adverse impacts of unilateral coercive measures.
11:41This would include through the potential establishment of a safe zone that would be
11:46free of unilateral sanctions, a zone in which we can trade and process payments without
11:52hazards or arbitrary impediments of a punitive nature, the purpose of which would be to ensure
11:58both the well-being of our peoples and the development of our nations.
12:03Another possibility would be through the enactment of a concrete roadmap that would allow reduction
12:09of dependency on international trade and on national currencies that are prone to
12:13being used to implement unilateral coercive measures or they are used to sustain a particular
12:19state's monetary hegemony over the global economy.
12:23Similarly, we should also acknowledge the legitimate claims in accordance with the relevant
12:29norms of international law by the affected states, whether they be affected directly
12:34or indirectly, and this is particularly true of states and individuals that are specifically
12:40targeted by unilateral coercive measures, for compensation from states imposing such
12:46measures, for the damages incurred as a consequence of the existence, promulgation, and application
12:52of such unlawful measures.
12:55Mr. President, allow me now to conclude with six messages.
12:59First, we would like to express our gratitude to all groups and delegations, regional groups,
13:05that will be participating in today's debate.
13:08We are grateful for their ongoing solidarity with nations and peoples subjected to the
13:13application of unilateral coercive measures, and we are grateful for their continued support
13:18to the global cause in favor of the realization of a world free of so-called sanctions.
13:25Second, by urging the Secretary of the United Nations to present a report with its relevant
13:31findings following the General Assembly's request to monitor the imposition of unilateral
13:36economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion, and its request to
13:43study the negative impact of such illegal measures on the affected countries, which
13:47would include the impact on trade and development, the role of the Secretariat in raising awareness
13:54about this issue, which has global implications, as we said earlier, cannot be overemphasized.
14:03Third message, we call on all responsible members of the international community to
14:10prevent this reality from being minimized or ignored.
14:15This would include within the context of ongoing intergovernmental processes currently underway
14:21at the United Nations.
14:23If we are truly committed to honoring our pledge of leaving no one behind, then the
14:28time has come for us all to redress unilateral coercive measures in a comprehensive and effective
14:35manner.
14:36That is in the interest of the well-being of we, the peoples of the United Nations.
14:41A first step in the right direction would be, for example, the inclusion of this matter
14:46in the recently agreed conclusions and recommendations of the 2024 Financing for Development Forum.
14:55We trust this will also be the case in the outcome documents of the upcoming Summit of
15:00the Future.
15:02We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug or shy away from discussing it when it
15:08is an issue of an existential nature for millions of people around the world.
15:15Fourth message, by firmly calling on all states to refrain from promulgating, recognizing,
15:20and or implementing unilateral coercive measures as a political means, we would include the
15:26context of bilateral relations.
15:28The purpose of this is, among others, to bring pressure to bear or force sovereign will of
15:34another state, including as part of a regime change policy.
15:40Fifth, we call on all international organizations and international financial institutions to
15:49refrain from recognizing, supporting, implementing, or de facto complying with unilateral coercive
15:56measures.
15:58And sixth message, we reiterate our firm commitment to sparing no effort in preserving, promoting,
16:05and defending the prevalence and validity of the Charter of the United Nations, for
16:11which it is necessary, among other things, that unilateral coercive measures be lifted
16:16in a complete, immediate, and unconditional manner so that they do not exist in the world
16:22today.
16:23Mr. President, if I may now, in my national capacity, I would like to make some additional
16:30comments.
16:31Mr. President, from at least 2014, the criminal attitude of the government of the United States,
16:40working with sectors of the right and the corrupt ultra-right in Latin America, has
16:47been working against Venezuela and implementing one of the most aggressive programs against
16:54this country in history.
16:57It is all about a policy of regime change being imposed on a people which, in building
17:02its independence and freedom, has refused to cede to this blackmail and insists on being
17:10a master of its own destiny.
17:13They have brought about a campaign of maximum pressure to bear on my country, full of legal
17:20and financial falsity and lies against our country.
17:25Criminal laws, executive orders that are harmful, lists of people that are sanctioned,
17:31and lists of sanctions specifically against our country, all of this in keeping with this
17:37criminal structure put in place which claims to legitimize and justify an illegal policy
17:45of extraterritorial intervention.
17:50This is the behavior of a decadent imperial empire to support a weak international system.
17:59This systematic, sustained economic terrorism against our country, with more than 930 laws
18:07against us applied by the EU, the United States, and satellite countries, has led to the seizure
18:14of assets and property of Venezuelan people, has prevented – they've prevented bank
18:19transfers and interrupted, amongst others, the debt payment and interest payments by
18:27the republic.
18:29They have prevented the purchase of machinery and other inputs from the international market.
18:34They have paralyzed international services, brought pressure to bear to stimulate economic
18:42growth of third countries, like working with Venezuela, and created obstacles to the import
18:47of essential goods and services to guarantee the well-being of the Venezuelan people.
18:53Mr. President, these measures, which in modern practice are colonialism, have been – led
19:02to the collapse of the national economy in Venezuela and led to a multifaceted crisis
19:07which is without precedent, which translated into a negative impact of the public and private
19:12economy of our country.
19:16The promoters of these crimes against humanity have been recognized.
19:22We must address this as an agony, a tragedy, which will continue until finally it reaches
19:29the end.
19:30And if we can do something to accelerate it, we should.
19:34But we should do so understanding that this will have an impact on millions of people
19:39who are already in difficulty in finding medicine and food.
19:43We cannot do this and claim that it will not have an impact.
19:47We must take a hard decision.
19:50The ends justify the severe punishment.
19:54This confession – this is a confession of one of the criminals, William Bronson, representative
20:03of the genocidal government of the United States of America.
20:08As a product of the unilateral coercion of these measures between 2015 and 2022, Venezuela
20:25is producing 3,000 – 3.2 billion barrels of oil, which is equivalent to some $230 billion.
20:47Until 2022, the damage caused to the domestic economy of our country is estimated at $240
21:00billion.
21:02That means that the loss caused to Venezuela was greater than the international reserves
21:12of all the 11 countries in the rest of Latin America.
21:17In short, the coercive unilateral measures against businesses, ships, airplanes, and
21:26other Venezuelan assets that we need to add to that – the confiscation and seizure of
21:35$13 billion in various international banks and multilateral organization – has made
21:44Venezuela the fifth country in the world with the most people punished, the sixth country
21:53with more companies that are affected, in the fourth state with most ships that have
22:01been harmed, and the third country with the most airplanes that are affected by these
22:09destructive and criminal measures.
22:12To evade their international responsibility given these crimes that were committed, however,
22:18financial rules have been imposed on this whole range of unilateral coercive measures
22:25that claim to avoid the omission of known licenses.
22:31In reality, these licenses, and in some cases, were just a euphemism presented as – to
22:38cover supposed humanitarian exemptions.
22:42This is a mechanism of economic neocolonialism, which establishes conditions for states that
22:50are harmed and adjusts them to the political and economic interests of the private corporations
22:55and the government of the aggressor state.
22:59In short, what we're dealing with here is licenses or concessions to dominate, to administer
23:05pain, to deepen and extend the time of the structural ties of dependency economically
23:11and financially, sustained by an international system which is unfair and desired, tailor-made
23:19to the interests of the North, to undermine the sovereignty and self-determination of
23:25peoples.
23:26Mr. President, given the application of coercive measures, Venezuela has made significant progress
23:31in achieving the STGs, and with that, there has been optimism and an optimal and timely
23:39achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
23:43This progress has been affected, however, by the extortionist policies of the United
23:49States and other governments that are subservient to its imperial interests and so-called domination.
23:57Today, the recovery of the Venezuelan people is due to its own effort.
24:01With dignity and morally, it's claiming its possibility to lift itself beyond the
24:07criminal sanctions and to lift off with greater strength and fully exercise its right to development.
24:14The blockade against financial transactions in the areas of food, health care, education,
24:20and public services that have been widespread since 2016 have translated into real restrictions
24:25that continue today, they persist.
24:28And this is different from what the aggressors would say to international public opinion.
24:32And with the support of huge media corporations that are trying to turn our faces away and
24:38make us not see this, all of this is part of a policy of maximum cruelty, which is calculated
24:45to create as much pain and suffering as possible for all of Venezuelan society.
24:49It's truly collective punishment, due to which either earlier or later, the promoters
24:56will have to be held accountable before international justice.
24:59Now, despite all of their attacks, aggressions, undermining, and pillaging, which are reflected
25:08in this cruel and inhuman measures, unilateral coercive measures imposed on our country,
25:13the government of President Maduro has never set aside what we consider to be most essential,
25:19and that is the protection of our people through social investment.
25:24Mr. President, unilateral coercive measures have been focused on blocking and confiscating
25:33the Venezuelan state's assets abroad through an international financial system and arbitrary
25:39tribunals in foreign countries.
25:41And this has been done in combination with a strategy of aggression using force or the
25:46threat of the use of force, thereby undermining and jeopardizing international law and the
25:52provisions of the United Nations Charter.
25:54In the case of Venezuela, the so-called sanctions operate as a sort of curtain, a cover or veil
26:01to hide the criminal operations of theft and looting of our country's assets.
26:11And that's why we see the need and duty here to denounce from this August Tribune the attempt
26:21of illegally stripping our country of its main assets, which is the seventh largest
26:27oil company of – which – and this is a company which is indisputably a sovereign
26:37patrimony of the Venezuelan people.
26:40And here we're referring to the company called Sitco Petroleum Corporation, which
26:44is the main asset of Venezuela in the United States and property of the Venezuelan oil
26:50state, which has been blocked since 2019.
26:55And due to the war operations, the lawfare, as it's called in the United States, by
27:00the Delaware Tribunal with the support of fictitious entities which are only recognized
27:05by Washington and supposed Venezuelan representatives, is now very much at risk of being undermined
27:11to the benefit of U.S. and Canadian corporations.
27:14It's for this reason that in this very room we disassociated ourselves from the election
27:25of the President in this General Assembly.
27:27They're perpetuating the farce in order to continue with their local agents, continue
27:32eluding all the assets of our people and our country and beyond.
27:36We cannot but mention also the impact of sanctions on the economy and global and regional development.
27:44Energy security has been seriously impacted by these measures.
27:48And here what we see is the productive capacity of the country with the greatest oil reserves
27:52in the world impacted.
27:54The Petro Caribe program, which is the most fabulous company of solidarity, cooperation
28:00in our region, was very much attacked, vilely, with the only purpose of creating inhuman
28:08damage to a dozen of countries that were participating in this program.
28:13Mr. President, in opting for sovereignty and the exercise its inalienable right to self-determination
28:21and in opting for our right to freely elect our governance system and economic model that
28:27suits us, the Venezuelan people have shown that dignity has no price.
28:32And that is why all the unilateral coercive measures have failed.
28:37And in the future, they are destined to continue failing spectacularly, not only for the good
28:44of Venezuela, but also given the accelerate erosion of the supremacist and arrogant spirit
28:52behind those who impose these illegal, cruel, inhuman, and genocidal measures.
28:59Every day that this policy continues against Venezuela, alternative capacity of economics,
29:06political, social, and cultural development of its people will be empowered and made a
29:11reality.
29:12For each measure which seeks to freeze an asset, a service, monetary value, or transaction,
29:21Venezuela will unleash a whole torrent of new opportunities.
29:26To demonstrate this, let me give you one example.
29:28That suffices.
29:30At the moment of the blockade of the economic war against Venezuela, the nation was able
29:35to achieve a 95 percent index.
29:40Although there are continued challenges, this number has then been invested, and we now
29:46have 97 percent of food self-sufficiency and self-supply in our country, even though
29:53they tried to strip us of our supplies.
29:55Today, with our own efforts, the Venezuelan economy has begun a process of recovery with
30:01figures that are quite higher, much higher than other countries in the region, as set
30:05forth by ECLAC and other specialized bodies.
30:11Their data indicates this.
30:13Mr. President, on the 28th of July, Venezuela will hold presidential elections for the period
30:202025 to 2023.
30:23The electoral environment of peace and civic duty will lead to 11 candidates and 37 political
30:31parties in this election, which represents an ideological spectrum and national policy
30:38and is providing a great political public debate today in our country in the streets
30:42of Venezuela.
30:44The sanctions which were stipulated and supported by the political opposition, which are servile
30:51and directed by Washington, are at the center of this electoral debate.
30:57No doubt they will lose in the electoral failure, and there will be a failure of the attempt
31:06to impose on the Venezuelan people a colonial regime with fascist practices, which is absolutely
31:13anachronic given the Monroe Doctrine, which pretends to convert us into their backdoor.
31:20The sanctions and anti-democratic model, neo-liberal model of hungry, poverty, pain, and suffering
31:28and coercion will be overcome once again and fail.
31:32And the Bolivarian principles of sovereignty and independence most likely will prevail
31:37in our elections, bringing President Maduro to yet another presidential term.
31:44The 28th of July, we will see a confirmation in our elections of a resounding democratic
31:50cry upon the Venezuelan people.