Jaafari: Commitment to goals of sustainable development plan requires eliminating politicization, double standards and unilateralism

New York, (ST) – Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari affirmed that the main challenges facing Syria in its efforts to achieve the goals of the sustainable development lie in the terrorist war which has been imposed on it for more than nine years, the terrorist economic war represented in the unilateral coercive measures, and the aggression and occupation acts and other connected practices which aim at looting the resources of the Syrian state.

Al-Jaafari’s remarks came in a statement he made at  the 2nd Committee of the UN General Assembly meeting in the framework of the item of Sustainable Development.

The Syrian diplomat said that despite the strenuous efforts exerted by Syria to realize the goals of sustainable development,  it still faces big challenges to ensure an appropriate atmosphere for achieving sustainable development and the perseverance of its potentials and outcomes, adding that on top of these challenges is the terrorist war which has been imposed on Syrian people for nine years, the terrorist economic war represented by the unilateral coercive measures and aggression and occupation acts and the practices connected to them, especially plundering the Syrian resources including oil, gas, factories, crops and artifacts.

He stressed that achieving  the UN agenda for 2030 requires  support  for the principles of the international law, the provisions of the UN Charter and a guarantee that UN member states’ commitment to them.It also requires  supporting the efforts of the countries affected by the occupation practices, terrorist criminal acts  and the illegal coercive measures, noting that the circumstances accompanying Covid-19 pandemic require an urgent move to end the illegitimate unilateral coercive measures imposed by  governments of certain countries on a number of member-states, including Syria.

Al-Jaafari reminded the participants of the speech made by the President of the UN General Assembly a few days ago in which he affirmed that the UN member states are facing the worst economic depression since 1929, noting that this should push the states that impose economic terrorist wars on other states to behave responsibly and halt such illegitimate practices.

Al-Jaafari went on to say that  Syria is still looking forward to cooperating with the UN Development System for development to respond for the national priorities which focused on turning from humanitarian relief and securing the basic needs to achieve sustainable development and ensuring the economic recovery and reconstruction.

He said that serious commitment to achieving the goals of the plan of sustainable development for 2030 requires abandoning any political agendas which contradict with the principles of the charters and its goals, politicization and double standards and attempts of some countries to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and impose certain restrictions on the UN and hindering the rebuilding process.

Concluding his statement, al-Jaafari called on all member-states to work collectively for the implementation of the 2030 agenda and goals of sustainable development far from unilateralism and politicization, stressing that our world today is in a dire need to solidarity and collective work.

K.Q.