TEHRAN – Iranian ambassador to the UN Amir Saeed Iravani has encouraged the international community to oppose unilateralism practiced by some nations, such as the U.S., asserting that Washington has broken "legal procedures" via "naked bullying and hypocrisy".

Speaking at a summit of foreign ministers from the Group of 77 plus China on Thursday in New York, Iravani denounced Washington's illegitimate attitude in manipulating international procedures.

The remarks by Ambassador Iravani came one day after the U.S., with a support by its allies, expelled Iran from the UN Commission on Status of Women (CSW).

Iravani’s statement is as follows:

The G77, as the largest intergovernmental coalition of developing countries in the United Nations, provides the means for developing countries to articulate and promote their collective interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system. Now, after decades of its establishment, our Group, despite the many obstacles and challenges, has demonstrated strong leadership and proven that international cooperation is the only way to preserve our shared values and address the common challenges that lay in front of us. 

The central theme of today’s meeting is “Addressing Present Challenges and Building Resilience Against Future Crises.” One of the essential current crises in the world is the dangers of adopting unilateral approaches toward multilateral issues. In other words, multilateralism continues to come under intense pressure from many sides, including through perilous unilateralism. We witnessed a clear example of such danger yesterday (Wednesday) at the ECOSOC meeting, during which, unfortunately, once again, unilateral dictatorship, naked bullying, hypocrisy, political power, coercion and double standards by the U.S. and its allies prevailed over multilateralism, legal procedures and the rule of law in depriving the Islamic Republic of Iran of the CSW membership. Following this political adventure, the United Nations and its principal organs and the core value of democracy were attacked by the U.S. through undermining the principles of the UN Charter and manipulating the ECOSOC rules of procedures and practices. If we are really looking for a solution to global crises, we must stand against these sorts of unilateral and illegal actions. For the G77, it will be of utmost importance to put policies and commitments in place to stop unilateralism; otherwise, all of us will have to suffer from its catastrophic consequences.

Fortunately, the G77 has always been the most important international actor in rejecting illegal Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs) and unlawful unilateral sanctions. In this regard, developing countries need to promote cooperation more than ever. All international and regional capacities and initiatives in this field should be utilized appropriately to strengthen the role of the G77 and China as the most important and efficient international actor.

The undeniable necessities encompassing the achievement of sustainable and inclusive development include the integration of developing countries in the global trade system and increasing their share, filling the income and digital gaps, providing the necessary resources for investment in developing economies and facilitating the transfer of technology as well as technical knowledge. By bearing the importance of these necessities in mind, this Group can pave this path by creating international consensus and coalition among vital issues.

The Group of 77 and China should make maximum use of the capacities of relevant international forums to upgrade the interests and rights of developing countries while defending them in various economic, development and international fields.

While we insist that no person should be left behind, at the same time it should be noted that no country should be held back from the development process due to political purposes. Otherwise, repeating "No one should be left behind" will remain an empty promise and a decorative slogan.