AFRICAN GROUP STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR EKITELA LOKAALE AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST UNILATERAL COERCIVE MEASURES

  Delivered by H.E. Deputy Permanent Representative Amb. Yabesh O. Monari, MBS on behalf of H.E. Ambassador Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations & Chair of the African Group for the month of November & December

4th December 2025

Mr President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the African Group.

The African Group welcomes the convening of this inaugural commemoration of the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/293. It is fitting that this commemoration falls on 4 December, the

anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development. The nexus between unilateral coercive measures and the denial of the right to development is a lived

reality for millions across the African continent and the broader Global South.

Mr President,

The African Union has consistently condemned the imposition of unilateral coercive

measures. At its Thirty-Fifth Ordinary Session in February 2022, the Assembly of the African

Union adopted the Resolution on the Impact of Sanctions and Unilateral Coercive Measures

on African Union Member States, contained in document Assembly/AU/Res.1(XXXV). This

resolution strongly condemns the continued unilateral application of coercive measures as

tools of political and economic pressure, and declares such measures to be contrary to the

African Union Constitutive Act, the United Nations Charter, and the norms governing peaceful relations among States.

The African Group further recalls Human Rights Council resolution 27/21, which stresses that unilateral coercive measures are contrary to international law, international humanitarian law, and the Charter of the United Nations. As documented by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, these measures impede access to food, medicines, medical equipment, and essential services. They undermine the capacity of targeted States to pursue their national development priorities and disproportionately harm the most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

The African Group is particularly concerned by the extraterritorial application of these measures and the phenomenon of over-compliance, whereby financial institutions and commercial entities sever ties with targeted States out of fear of secondary sanctions, extending harm far beyond stated targets.

Mr President,

The African Group calls upon all States imposing unilateral coercive measures to lift them

immediately, completely, and unconditionally. Africa remains committed to a rules-based international order anchored in the Charter of the United Nations. We call upon the General Assembly to continue raising awareness of the negative impact of these measures and to explore all avenues to bring about their cessation.

The African Group expresses its hope that this commemoration will serve as a catalyst for concrete action. The peoples affected by unilateral coercive measures deserve nothing less.

I thank you.