ALBA-TCP Demands Lifting of All Unilateral Coercive Measures

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) demanded on Wednesday the immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures intended to prevent affected countries from facing the global pandemic caused by COVID-19.

In the communiqué, the member countries expressed their "concern about the worsening of the serious crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has already caused more than two million deaths, reaching the chilling figure of more than 11,000 people dead per day so far in 2021 and that requires global efforts and responses based on unity, solidarity, and cooperation."

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In this regard, the alliance reiterates that "the application of unilateral coercive measures in the context of a pandemic aims to: weaken the central role of the State, prevent the development of national strategies to strengthen health and social protection systems, hinder universal access, in equitable and affordable conditions, to vaccines and treatments developed to confront COVID-19," in reference to the policy applied by the United States against Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Likewise, the communiqué denounces that these measures intend to "cause untold suffering to the entire population," for which reason they emphasize that "these measures, of a marked extraterritorial character, seek to erode the exercise of solidarity and international cooperation, depriving the peoples of the benefits of the mechanisms of South-South Cooperation" and condemn in this sense, "the imposition of unilateral coercive measures and we underline their aggravated consequences in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic."

"ALBA-TCP makes a statement on the application of unilateral coercive measures in the context of the pandemic, its violation of international law and demands its immediate lifting."

The communiqué itself recalls that these measures "have a clear impact on the enjoyment of the human rights of citizens [since] they deliberately impede the right to health and life," and therefore urges "states to refrain from unilaterally enacting and applying economic, financial or trade 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 pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)."

The Bolivarian Alliance has foreseen its plans to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, especially concerning a massive vaccination process, starting with the creation of a vaccine bank proposed by Venezuela and supported by Cuba, so far the only country in the region with the capacity to produce up to 100 million doses of its vaccine candidates, when they are approved. However, they have denounced the impact of the U.S. blockade in achieving these results.