NIAC remains committed to ongoing efforts to lift sanctions that hinder the Iranian people’s ability to combat coronavirus. As such, we recently joined a coalition of humanitarian, research, peacebuilding, faith-based, human rights, and civil society organizations to advocate for a humane response to sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to the President, we highlighted our health concerns for Iranians under sanctions as well as for citizens of other heavily sanctioned nations, including Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Gaza, the West Bank and Yemen. The current pandemic has proved just how delicate and unsafe the healthcare infrastructure is in sanctioned nations and places. Without intervention, millions of civilians will face additional risk of infection and death as well as severe and unnecessary economic hardship.
This is why we support UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his recent call “for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic.” The letter urges the President to 1) issue emergency universal exemptions for humanitarian goods which would allow humanitarian agencies to respond to the crisis more effectively; 2) implement reporting protocols that monitor the impact and human cost of sanctions and 3) suspend sanctions that cause significant economic damage and leave populations exposed to sickness and disease, food insecurity, and other humanitarian emergencies.
Read the full letter to President Trump below:
Sanctions Coalition Letter_Admin_4_23_20Back to top