GENEVA: Unilateral sanctions against Syria should be eased as soon as possible, a United Nation expert said. Alena Douhan, a UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, claimed on Thursday that the sanctions are a part of the damage and agony endured by the Syrian people.

After a 12-day tour, Douhan said she was impressed by the humanitarian impact of the sanctions placed on Syria, a nation trying to recover from a decade-long war, as per reports.

90% of Syrians are presently living in poverty, with only moderate access to food, water, energy, shelter, fuel, transportation, and healthcare. Due to the country's worsening economic situation, she noted, there is a significant "brain-drain."

The imposition of unilateral sanctions on important economic sectors, such as oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction, and engineering, has quashed national income and undermined efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction, according to Douhan, with more than half of the essential infrastructure either completely destroyed or severely damaged.

 "In the current dire and still deteriorating humanitarian situation, as 12 million Syrians struggle with food insecurity, I urge the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely violate human rights and thwart any initiatives for early recovery, rebuilding, and reconstruction, she said.

Other detrimental effects of the sanctions, including as those on international cooperation in the fields of research, the arts, sports, cultural heritage, access to new technologies, cyberspace, criminality, and security, were also mentioned by the UN Special Rapporteur. She also made mention of the financial institutions in Syria that had blocked their overseas assets.

I urge the international community, and sanctioning states in particular, to pay attention to the damaging effects of sanctions, and to act quickly and decisively to resolve over-compliance by corporations and banks with international human rights law, the official added.

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