Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Norberto Moretti, at the 78th UNGA Plenary meeting on unilateral coercitive measures - June 16th, 2025

Mr. President,

Thank you for convening this important debate.

My delegation associates itself with the statement delivered by Iraq on behalf of the G77 and China.

Brazil has consistently argued that unilateral extraterritorial economic coercive measures are not consistent with international law. These actions infringe upon fundamental principles such as the sovereign equality of states and the non-interference in internal affairs. Therefore, they are illegal, lack legitimacy, run counter to the purposes and principles of the UN charter and actively undermine the multilateral system.

The repercussions of such measures go far beyond legal and political concerns. They often result in or worsen economic hardships, exacerbate poverty and deepen inequality, especially when imposed upon developing countries, which are the usual targets of unilateral coercive measures. They violate human rights and cause human suffering, as it is ordinary people with no control over and no responsibility for the policies being targeted by unilateral coercive measures who bear the brunt of their practical consequences.

The notion that unilateral sanctions are "targeted" is frequently misleading. Even when specific in scope, sanctions of this nature may have serious and far-reaching effects, including due to the negative impacts of secondary sanctions, depending on whom, including entities, or what they aim to penalize.

The situation is even more concerning given the fact that unilateral coercive measures have repeatedly failed to accomplish their stated objectives. Some of these sanctions have been in place for decades, yet the behaviors or policies they seek to alter remain unchanged or have even been reinforced, in particular because these measures are widely perceived by many as unjust and illegitimate tools of coercion.

It is, thus, imperative that the international community continue to reject the unlawful use of unilateral coercive measures and uphold the fundamental tenets of international law and the United Nations charter.

I thank you.