Organized by the Permanent Missions of Cuba, Iran and Venezuela, the "International Seminar on Unilateral Coercive Measures (MCU) and its Impacts" will take place in Vienna on Thursday, June 27. .
The event will focus on the potential effects of such measures on the lives of people, including human rights. The event aims to create a space for the exchange of criteria between diplomats, academics and experts from civil society, aimed at raising awareness about the illegality and effects of unilateral sanctions, with a view to preventing, minimizing and correcting them.
The Seminar also intends to share experiences on current unilateral sanctions, in addition to raising awareness about the negative impacts of those applied against Cuba, Iran and Venezuela, which will be exposed by the ambassadors of these countries in Austria, Juan Antonio Fernández, Kazem Gharib Abadi and Jesse Chacón, respectively.
Among the invited speakers are the Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on Unilateral Coercive Measures, Idris Jazairy, Professor Ignacio Ramonet, who will speak on the role of the media, followed by Alfred de Zayas, Independent Expert of the UN for the Promotion of an International Democratic and Equitable Order (2012-2018).
The former Secretary-General of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization, Rahmat Mohamad, will also address the economic impact, especially in humanitarian aspects, and the lawyer William Schabas, who will address the implications of unilateral sanctions, according to the precepts of the International Court of Justice. Complete the list of speakers Leo Gabriel, social anthropologist and Austrian journalist, who will address the role and responsibility of the media regarding these measures.
Unilateral, primary and secondary sanctions are usually economic measures imposed by a State, or group of countries, to pressure a change in the policy of another State, outside the framework of the Security Council of the United Nations.
The event is especially important for Cuba in the context of the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act by the Trump administration, which intensifies the policy of the United States blockade against the island.
(Embacuba Austria)