The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has called for the lifting of international sanctions imposed on countries such as Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria, to ensure food supplies reach the hungry people during the Corona pandemic.
The United States imposes sanctions on Iran over its nuclear and missile programs, and is among the countries hardest hit by the emerging Corona virus.
Venezuela has reported 113 cases of corona with the WHO, while North Korea neighboring China and South Korea have not reported any cases so far.
"The continued imposition of economic sanctions on Syria, Venezuela, Iran and Cuba, and to a lesser extent on Zimbabwe, to name just a few, greatly undermines the basic right of ordinary citizens to have access to adequate and adequate food," Hilal Elfer, the United Nations' right to food, said in a statement.
"The immediate lifting of unilateral economic sanctions is urgent, both in humanitarian and practical terms," said Elfer, an independent human rights expert.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called last week for the easing or suspension of those exhausted sanctions. "It is important to avoid the collapse of the medical system of any country in light of the significant consequences that this will lead to death, suffering and the wider transmission of infection," she said.