US actions have been a major barrier in accessibility of vulnerable people (including refugees) to the educational and livelihood services as well as medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical equipment to confront the coronavirus disease.
Speaking in 71st session of Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), which was held through videoconference on Tue., Hossein Zolfaghari added, “As one of the major countries hosting the largest refugees in the world, Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted a large number of refugees for more than 4 decades. Of course, increasing needs of refugees on the one hand, intensification of unilateral coercive measures taken by the United States as well as the outbreak of coronavirus, COVID-19, on the other hand, have seriously undermined and tarnished the capacity of the Islamic Republic of Iran to support refugees.”
“We are witnessing a staggering and skyrocketing increase in costs, especially in the field of healthcare services during the coronavirus outbreak,” he maintained.
Under such circumstances, there is no reasonable balance between the direct and indirect costs of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the international aid,” he noted.
Despite calls from UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell to lift sanctions, at least during the coronavirus pandemic, “We are unfortunately witnessing an intensification of US coercive action.” These measures have been a major obstacle to access to education and livelihood services for vulnerable individuals, including refugees, as well as medical, therapeutic and pharmaceutical equipment needed to prevent and combat coronavirus disease in the host and refugee community, Zolfaghari stressed.
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