Lift Sanctions to Alleviate Hunger Crises Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic, UN Official Says

International sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilal Elver, United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, said March 31. Suspended sanctions could help Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba and Zimbabwe, which are “already under stress and cannot handle the additional burden of sanctions,” Elver said. Sanctions may also be disproportionately impacting civilians in Yemen, South Sudan, Gaza and Syria, Elver said. A UN official previously called for the removal of global sectoral sanctions (see 2003250010).