Above photo: Venezuelan Diplomat Samuel Moncada, Dec. 4, 2025.
Diplomat Moncada urges creation of a UN special adviser to assess the global impact of unilateral coercive measures.
NOTE: On the Eve of the first International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, SanctionsKill and its partners launched a campaign by health professionals to stop sanctions, citing a 2025 study published in The Lancet that found unilateral coercive measures cause as many deaths as war with more than 50% of deaths in children under five years of age. Learn more here.
On Thursday, Venezuela’s representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, recalled that the “Right to Development” of more than 76 countries is being systematically attacked by arbitrary, illegal, and cruel sanctions imposed by wealthy nations.
“Those sanctions are weapons of economic warfare,” he said on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter during the first observance of the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.
Nothing legitimize the sanctions
The Venezuelan official highlighted the intentional coincidence of the date (Dec. 4) with the anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, underscoring that unilateral coercive measures are the greatest obstacle to implementing the 2030 Agenda and national development plans.
Moncada emphasized that no political or ideological justification can legitimize these actions, which he said cripple nations’ productive potential by blocking access to financing, technology, medicines, and food.
Additionally, the Venezuelan representative said that so-called “humanitarian exemptions” are just “cruel illusions” that are ineffective and fictitious, as confirmed by UN experts.
Given the severity and global scale of these policies, Moncada called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special adviser on unilateral coercive measures.
The Venezuelan diplomat stressed that such a high-level focal point is needed to assess the devastating impact of these measures, account for their effects and ensure coherent responses throughout the UN system.
