Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
Unida Nicaragua Triunfa
Address by Nicaragua
Debate on: The Elimination of Unilateral Extraterritorial Coercive Measures as an Instrument of Political and Economic Coercion
General Assembly
United Nations, New York
Monday, June 16th 2025
Mr. President,
Representatives and Delegates of the UN Member States.
1. Nicaragua associates itself with the speeches delivered by Iraq, on behalf of the G77+China Group, by Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and by Venezuela, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter.
2. We reaffirm our strong condemnation of unilateral sanctions, weapons of economic warfare used so as to try imposing political submission and to undermine the independence and development of Peoples.
3. These unilateral coercive measures, many of them of an extraterritorial nature, constitute a flagrant violation of international law, of the principles of sovereignty, non-intervention and the legal equality of States and represent a form of colonialism, covered in false discourses of human rights and democracy.
4. Since 1983, this Assembly has recognized the harmful nature of these measures. However, 40 years later, they continue to be applied with impunity and imposed through domination, via economic and geostrategic interests.
5. The United States, with the support of the European Union and other powers, has turned the imposition of sanctions into a systematic foreign policy tool. It is a mechanism of coercion, punishment and blackmail, used to force changes of government, to destabilize economies, to interfere in internal affairs and to break the will of the people.
6. It has been documented that more than a third of humanity today is directly or indirectly the victim of these measures. More than 30 countries face sanctions in one way or another. Millions of people are deprived of food, medicines, medical equipment, technology and fuel or financing due to these cruel and inhuman practices.
7. In Nicaragua, we have been the subject of extraterritorial laws such as the infamous “Nica Act” and the so-called “RENACER Law”. Through these regulations, attempts are being made to block our country's access to financial resources, hinder our international cooperation, and paralyze our institutions through threats to public officials. All this, with the sole purpose of strangling our economy and punishing our people, who do neither surrender nor sell out.
Mr. President,
8. In Nicaragua, despite this imperial offensive, we have continued to build a model based on social justice, solidarity, inclusion and sovereignty. We have guaranteed free health care, education for everyone, social programs, citizen security, and sustained economic growth. And we have done so without submitting to blackmail, because, first of all, we have Dignity.
9. Our country has been recognized by international organizations for its transparency in the management of resources, the effectiveness of our programs and our advances in the fight against organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering. So what is the point of harassing a country that works for stability and peace?
10. Coercive measures kill like bullets. They kill children who do not receive treatment, women who do not have access to medicines, families who cannot feed themselves. They are a modern form of silent war, of indirect extermination which increases poverty.
11. The intention to destroy - in whole or in part - Free and Dignified Peoples, depriving them of their means of life, health, food and development, is a crime against humanity.
Mr. President,
12. It is very revealing that, while some actors insist on applying their unilateral coercive measures against sovereign States under selfish political pretexts, they remain absolutely silent or continue to act with complicity in the face of massive human rights violations and permanent genocide against the Palestinian people.
13. The inaction of international mechanisms in the face of indiscriminate bombings, forced displacement and collective punishment in Gaza highlights the double standards of Western countries that weaken the multilateral system.
14. It is not enough to condemn. Action is required. This Assembly cannot continue to be a silent witness to crimes that ruin lives, block development, and violate all the principles of international law.
15. Nicaragua reiterates its commitment to defending the Charter of the United Nations, to International Law, to solidarity-based cooperation and to the consolidation of the multipolar world order, just, equitable and respectful of the sovereignty of peoples.
16. Our militant solidarity with all the governments and peoples who are fighting against these criminal unilateral coercive measures aimed at provoking poverty and terror among the peoples who suffer the impacts of these terrorist measures.
17. As long as some continue to promote the threat and use of force, interference, blockades and wars, Nicaragua will always continue to raise its voice for Peace, mutual respect, sovereignty and self-determination, social justice, and above all, true brother and sisterhood among the peoples of the world.
Thank you very much.