Statement by H.E. Dr. Kazem Gharibabadi, Ambassador and the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran   Before 48th Session of the UNIDO Industrial Development Board (IDB)   Agenda Item 6: UNIDO's response to the COVID-19 pandemic     23-25 November 2020         In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful   Please check against delivery   Mr. President My delegation associates itself with the statement of G77 and China, delivered by the distinguished Permanent Representative of the Philippines and wishes to add some additional comments at its national capacity as follow: We take note of the report of the Director General on UNIDO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and highly appreciate the efforts exerted by the Director General and the Secretariat of UNIDO in this respect and also for their tangible role in mitigating the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. We are looking forward to the continued endeavors of UNIDO and the other relevant international organizations, in assisting the countries that were affected by the impact of COVID-19. In fact, this pandemic requires a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to support countries in need, enabling them to recover better for more prosperous and resilient and inclusive economies and societies. In this context, we deeply express our concern over the serious impacts of COVID-19 on many developing countries, including the most vulnerable countries and those facing specific challenges, out of their control, which severely compromise their ability to withstand the impact of the COVID-19 shock and to invest in the implementation of the sustainable development. Despite the fact that the response to and recovery from COVID-19 requires global solidarity and international cooperation, we continue to witness the excessive use of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs), especially of secondary and extra-territorial implications, which are in flagrant breach of the basic purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, International Law, and International Human Rights Law as well as in absolute contradiction with the established principles of multilateralism and the basic norms of international relations and diplomacy We strongly are of the opinion that it  is  a  critical  time  to  cooperate  and  communicate,  not  only  by sharing responsibilities, based on international cooperation and multilateralism,  but  also  by  taking  decisive  action  together  as  an international community. The fight against this pandemic is a global fight. We are especially concerned by the immediate and longer-term impacts of the disease on developing countries and commend those donor partners and institutions that have initiated special measures to assist developing countries in their efforts to combat the pandemic. We also commend the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, within the framework of South-South cooperation, in contributing to the efforts to confront the pandemic. finally we reiterate that UNIDO should intensify its efforts, in collaboration with other UN organizations and agencies, to make sure that the most vulnerable and affected countries by the pandemic are provided with the capacity and the opportunities to have a continued access to equipment which are needed for the sustained operation of their vital services and for the daily life activities and including the means for the production and fair distribution of the expected vaccine of COVID-19.   I thank you Mr. President