TEHRAN – The world must take “serious and effective” steps to counter the U.S. coercion against developing states, an Iranian diplomat has said.

Ali Hajilari, the first counselor of Iran’s permanent mission to the UN, made the remarks while addressing the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on Friday.

Hajilari also denounced the United States’ unilateral and illegal measures as well as inaction by the international community to stand up to such a policy.

“The U.S. unilateral coercive measures, including the imposition of illegitimate and illegal sanctions on developing countries, on the one hand, and the international community’s passivity towards it, on the other, have turned the pivotal ideal of sustainable development, namely ‘no one should be left behind’, into a purely decorative, absurd, ridiculous and meaningless slogan,” the Iranian diplomat said, according to Press TV.

He added that this slogan is the backbone and the “DNA” of development and without its realization, any effort or plan to promote development in countries is more like a joke.

The Iranian diplomat urged the international community to adopt an immediate and effective measure to lift illegal and illegitimate sanctions against developing countries.

While ruling the White House, Donald Trump introduced sanctions against Iran under his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. The former U.S. president acknowledged that sanctions against Iran are unprecedented in history. The sanctions, which have not yet been lifted under the Biden administration, are contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the 2015 nuclear deal.

Trump started to return previous sanctions that had been lifted under the nuclear deal – JCPOA – and introducing new ones. When Trump officially abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018, his top diplomat Mike Pompeo said the U.S. will impose “the strongest sanctions in history” on Iran. Also in November 2018, John Bolton, who was the White House national security advisor at the time, said, “It’s our intention to squeeze them (Iranians) very hard… until the pips squeak.”

Hajilari said it will not be possible to achieve the right to development, as an inalienable human right, while multilateralism is under mounting pressure and the unilateral measures taken by a small number of countries have endangered the foundation of international cooperation.

In order for the ideal of “no one should be left behind” to materialize, the international community needs to take integrated, coherent, constructive, and effective steps to end any unilateral coercive measures, including illegitimate and illegal sanctions against developing countries, he emphasized.

“This important [issue] will not be possible unless immediate and united measures are taken to counter both unilateral coercive measures as well as those countries that impose such illegitimate actions on others,” the Iranian envoy pointed out.

The Economic and Social Council is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals. It is also responsible for the follow-up to major UN conferences and summits.

The UN Charter established ECOSOC in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the United Nations.

Addressing the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on AIDS on Thursday, Iran’s permanent envoy to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi identified the U.S. illegal and inhumane sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic as means of endangering the Iranian nation’s health towards political goals.

“The United States’ oppressive and unilateral sanctions run counter to the principles and goals sought by the UN Charter as well as the international law and the essential norms that govern the international relations,” Takht-Ravanchi said.

Top Iranian diplomats have called illegal sanctions against Iran, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic, as instances of war crime and crimes against humanity.