On the visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Yury Ambrazevich to Geneva (third day)
02.03.2023On March 1, 2023, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Yury Ambrazevich delivered a statement at the High-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Earlier that day, Y.Ambrazevich took part in a High-level meeting commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, which was held as part of the High-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
In his speech, the Belarusian diplomat emphasized the unlawfulness of unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and the EU countries against the Belarusian economy. He pointed out that they violate the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and restrict the right to development of the Belarusian people, thereby violating the economic, social and cultural rights of all citizens of Belarus without exception.
During the meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric-Egger, the interlocutors noted with satisfaction the high level of constructive interaction in recent years.
The parties noted the effectiveness of the implementation in 2022 of the Plan of joint activities of state bodies and other organizations of the Republic of Belarus and the ICRC, discussed the prospects for cooperation in 2023.
In particular, they positively assessed the initiatives of the ICRC to send to the Ministry of Health of Belarus humanitarian aid in the form of medicines and medical preparations, as well as the results of cooperation between the ICRC and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Border Committee, and the Ministry of Defense.
Separately, the Belarusian diplomat and the Head of the ICRC noted a bilateral partnership aimed at support the Government of Belarus in providing assistance to Ukrainian refugees, as well as a joint partnership with the Belarusian Red Cross for this purpose.
Yury Ambrazevich drew the interlocutor's attention to the worsening crisis in the field of food security as a consequence of the ban on Belarusian fertilizers, and as an additional problem for the ICRC's mandate to combat humanitarian disasters. He called on the ICRC to take this into account when working with the states that initiated such restrictions, bringing to them the truth about devastating consequences of their actions.
At the meeting with the Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan Yury Ambrazevich commended her work on revitalization of UNCTAD.
The Belarusian diplomat expressed gratitude to the leadership and the secretariat of the Organization for the fruitful cooperation with Belarus in the areas of investment, competition and consumer protection, e-commerce, and reiterated the importance for Belarus of UNCTAD’s technical assistance and expertise in the field of sustainable economic development and related aspects of trade, finance, and technology.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the issue of unilateral coercive measures, which led to a decline in international trade and triggered a global food crisis.
The Deputy Minister called on UNCTAD for systematic review and analysis of the impact of illegal Western economic sanctions on states’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Yuri Ambrazevich emphasized readiness of Belarus for joint efforts with UNCTAD and other specialized UN agencies to reduce the threat of global hunger by providing access to the Belarusian fertilizers for the most vulnerable countries.
The Secretary-General commended Belarus for its readiness to contribute to the effective work of UNCTAD and, in particular, to the Organization’s efforts to ensure global food security.
The meeting with the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Gilbert Houngbo was focused on the prospects for cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the ILO on the development of a tripartite dialogue.
