Ambassador Ala: Unilateral coercive measures impede comprehensive and sustainable development efforts

Geneva, (ST) – Syria expressed its regret that some countries continue to impose unilateral coercive measures in violation of international law. The matter that impedes the efforts of the targeted countries to achieve social justice, balanced growth and comprehensive and sustainable development.

In a statement before the 110th International Labor Conference on Wednesday, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam El Din Ala stressed the importance of enhancing international solidarity and cooperation for development at a time when the global economy is still suffering of the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuous negative effects that overthrew decades of economic and social achievements made by developing countries.

Ambassador Ala said that, the Syrian Arab Republic is facing the negative consequences of the terrorist war that targeted the infrastructure of its economy and the results of unilateral coercive measures that reach the level of economic terrorism that violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

He added that this economic terrorism has affected the living conditions of the Syrian people and efforts to recover from the crisis.

Ambassador Ala affirmed that, Syria is working steadfastly and resolutely to restore the paths of development and reconstruction.

Ambassador Ala renewed his call to activate joint cooperation paths and to resume the Qatari cooperation program between the Syrian Arab Republic and the International Labor Organization based on the action plan presented by the government.

Ambassador Ala praised the report of the Director-General of the International Labor Organization on the situation in the occupied Arab territories, which deals with the impact of the Israeli occupation on the rights of workers in the occupied Palestinian territory, including occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and in the occupied Syrian Golan.

He stressed the importance of activating the work of the fact-finding committee and its role in monitoring the practices of the occupying power and highlighting all its violations against Syrian workers in the occupied Golan. He affirmed that, the Golan is occupied Syrian land, and its return to the motherland is a right that is not subject to controversy or prescription.

The ambassador concluded his statement by saying that, Syria stresses its rejection of the politicization of the work of specialized international organizations and its opposition to the decisions driven by political considerations taken by the ILO’s board of directors against the Russian Federation as an attempt to prolong the crisis in Ukraine and undermine international cooperation.

Raghda Sawas