Since 2017, the United States has imposed numerous sanctions on Venezuela, targeting its oil industry, financial sector, and political leaders.
These sanctions have severely damaged the country’s economy. As a result, the people of Venezuela have been left to bear the brunt of the sanctions, with devastating consequences.
One of the most significant impacts of the sanctions has been on the availability of food and medicine.
The sanctions have made it difficult for Venezuela to import essential goods, including food and medicine, leading to shortages and skyrocketing prices.
This has caused immense suffering for ordinary Venezuelans, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children and the elderly.
The sanctions have also contributed to the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela.
The sanctions have had a negative impact on Venezuela’s oil industry, which is the country’s main source of revenue.
The sanctions have made it difficult for Venezuela to sell its oil on the international market, leading to a decline in production and revenue.
This has further weakened the country’s economy and made it more difficult for the government to provide basic services to its citizens.
The negative impact of sanctions on Venezuela has recently been brought to the forefront by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
During a visit to Venezuela in January 2023, Türk met with government officials, right-wing opposition leaders, civil society groups, and religious institutions.
Afterward, he called for the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela, stating that they ‘exacerbated the economic crisis and hindered human rights.’
Türk’s comments echo those made by the UN’s top expert on sanctions, Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights.
Douhan visited Venezuela in 2021 and reported that ‘unilateral sanctions increasingly imposed by the United States, the European Union and other countries have exacerbated the (economic crisis).’
Douhan pointed out that the Venezuelan government’s revenue has shrunk by 99%, with the country currently living on only 1% of its pre-sanctions income.
She further emphasised the devastating effects of sectoral sanctions on the oil, gold and mining industries, the economic blockade of Venezuela, and the freezing of Central Bank assets.
These measures have prevented the earning of revenues and the use of resources to develop and maintain infrastructure and social support programmes, which have had a devastating effect on the whole population of Venezuela, especially those in extreme poverty, women, children, medical workers, people with disabilities or life-threatening or chronic diseases, and the indigenous population.
Volker Türk’s statement on Venezuela emphasised the impact of sanctions on the most vulnerable segments of the population, including their struggle to obtain basic and essential products to sustain their livelihoods and the impossibility of finding medicines their loved ones so badly need.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has repeatedly recommended that member states suspend or lift measures that have a detrimental effect on human rights and that are aggravating the humanitarian situation, a call made with regard to unilateral coercive measures imposed on other countries too.
The sanctions have also had an impact on Venezuela’s healthcare system.
The shortage of medicine and medical supplies has made it difficult for healthcare providers to treat patients, leading to an increase in preventable deaths.
The sanctions have also made it difficult for Venezuela to access Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, further exacerbating the pandemic’s impact on the country.
The sanctions have also contributed to the mass exodus of Venezuelans from the country.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than five million Venezuelans have left their country since 2014, with the majority seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
The exodus has placed significant strain on the resources of these countries, which are often ill-equipped to deal with the influx of refugees.
In addition to the United Nations, several countries and organisations have called for the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela.
These include Mexico, Argentina, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
In addition to Venezuela, Cuba has also faced years of embargoes and sanctions.
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of lifting the US embargo on Cuba for the 29th consecutive year.
The resolution received support from 184 of the 193 member states, with only the United States and Israel voting against it.
The US embargo has severely impacted Cuba’s agricultural sector, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in losses every year, according to a report by the Cuban government in 2020.
This has resulted in chronic food shortages, with many Cubans struggling to access basic necessities like milk, meat and fresh produce.
The embargo has made it difficult for Cuban farmers to access essential agricultural inputs, like fertilizer, seeds, and pesticides and has also restricted their ability to export their products.
As a result, Cuba has become increasingly reliant on food imports, which have become more expensive due to the embargo’s restrictions on international trade.
The Cuban healthcare system has also been severely impacted by the embargo, with an estimated $9.1 billion in damages since its implementation, according to the Cuban government.
The embargo has resulted in shortages of medical supplies and equipment, making it difficult to provide adequate care to patients, especially those with chronic conditions.
The embargo has also made it difficult for Cuba to access new medical technologies and treatments, which are essential for improving health outcomes for the Cuban people.
The impact of the embargo has been particularly severe during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the critical need for adequate healthcare resources and infrastructure.
The US embargo has also had a significant impact on Cuba’s tourism industry, which is a vital source of revenue for the country.
According to a report by the Cuban government, the embargo has caused $30 billion in losses to the tourism sector since its implementation, resulting in lost jobs and economic opportunities for Cubans.
The embargo has restricted US citizens’ ability to travel to Cuba, which has had a significant impact on the tourism industry.
The restrictions on travel and tourism have also limited Cuba’s ability to develop its infrastructure.
- Huge rallies have been held in several Mexican cities against what protesters say are government attempts to undermine the electoral authorities.
The biggest was in Mexico City, where organisers say 500,000 people marched on the city’s main plaza.
Lawmakers last week voted to slash the budget of the National Electoral Institute (INE) and cut its staffing, with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accusing the INE of being partisan.
On Sunday, massive crowds gathered in Mexico City’s historic Zocalo Square, spilling out into adjoining streets in the city centre.
Smaller peaceful demonstrations were staged in several other cities.
Mexico’s Senate approved the reforms last Wednesday, following a similar vote in the lower chamber of parliament. The reforms will come into force once they are signed by President López Obrador.
Obrador, who was elected in July 2018 after two previous failed attempts, has long been critical of the INE, whose staff oversee elections.
Last month, he accused the body of cheating and said its staff turned a blind eye to ‘the stuffing of ballot boxes, falsification of (election) records and vote buying’.
In his first attempt at becoming president, in 2006, he lost to his conservative rival Felipe Calderón by less than one percentage point.
For months, Obrador refused to recognise the result, which he denounced as fraudulent.
He also challenged the result of the 2012 election, when he lost to Enrique Peña Nieto.
Since his win in 2018, President Obrador has been pushing for a reform of the INE, which he says will save taxpayers $150m (£125m) a year by drastically reducing the agency’s staff.
Meanwhile, Peru has recalled its ambassador in Mexico indefinitely after President Obrador said Peru’s government was ‘unconstitutional’.
Obrador also said that Peru’s former president, Pedro Castillo, had been ‘illegally ousted.’
Peru’s current leader Dina Boluarte denounced what she said was ‘unacceptable’ interference in its ‘internal affairs’.
She said the remarks would seriously affect relations between the nations.
Pedro Castillo’s impeachment in December sparked mass protests which are continuing across the country, and have seen at least 50 people killed.
The 53-year-old is currently in prison facing charges of rebellion and conspiracy after he unsuccessfully tried to dissolve Congress in order to stop an impeachment vote against him.
Boluarte, who was Castillo’s vice-president, has so far withstood repeated calls from protesters for her to stand down.
Speaking last Friday she accused her Mexican counterpart of supporting what she has described as an attempted coup by Castillo.
‘Mr Lopez has decided to seriously affect the bicentennial relations of mutual respect, friendship, co-operation, and desire for integration that have historically united Peru and Mexico,’ she said.
The recall of the ambassador comes two months after Mexico’s ambassador to Peru was kicked out after Mexico granted political asylum to Castillo’s family.
López Obrador is not the only regional leader to be critical about Castillo’s removal – Bolivia, Argentina and Colombia have also urged Peru to reinstate him.
