Iran Asks for UN’s Urgent Measures against Unilateral Sanctions on Developing States

Addressing the 6th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation, Ershadi said that unlawful and unjust unilateral sanctions against developing countries that impede their full achievement of economic and social development.

“The right to development, including the right to have access to new technologies for developing countries, would not be realized in an environment in which multilateralism is under severe pressure,” she added.

Ershadi emphasized that science and technology are among the most essential tools available in combating the current global COVID-19 health crisis.

She added that STI are among the key means of implementation for Sustainable Development and are considered as an important strategic variable in national development planning.

Ershadi stressed on the importance of capacity building for developing countries along with the promotion of regional and international cooperation and added that the transfer of knowledge and know-how without discrimination and politicization in the field of science is vastly important and should be made a priority, especially in consideration of new and emerging technologies without which the attempts aimed at fighting against COVID, moving towards development as well as the efforts towards filling the technology gaps and addressing digital divides would be doomed to failure.

Highlighting the role of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, as the United Nations focal point for STI related issues, Ershadi also referred to the importance of supporting the policies and activities of developing countries in the fields of STI through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation in the areas of financial and technical assistance, capacity-building and technology transfer and asked for the increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) targeting the development of STI capacities in developing countries.

Concluding her statement, she reiterated that the right to development, including the right to have access to new technologies for developing countries, would not be realized in an environment in which multilateralism is under severe pressure and urged the International Community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of unilateral coercive measures, including unlawful and unjust unilateral sanctions against developing countries that impede their full achievement of economic and social development and constitute a serious obstacle to combat the current pandemic, particularly by targeting ordinary citizens and their right to life and health.

The sixth annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI Forum) was held in the UN headquarters in New York from 4 to 5 May 2021. This meeting is annually by the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council to discuss and exchange views on cooperation between countries in the field of science and technology.