File photo shows Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (L) at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian envoy said on Tuesday that the United Nations needs to reduce unilateral sanctions on developing countries.

The imposition of unilateral sanctions goes against the sovereign equality and international law, and the imposition of sanctions on any sovereign state should always be in conformity with the provisions of the UN Charter, said Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, at a meeting of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization.

Almost all existing sanctions are placed against developing countries belonging to the African Union, the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement, he said.

"The frequency of the resort to unilateral sanctions must be reduced, their scope must be narrowed and their duration shortened in order to avoid prolonged damage to the interest of targeted states and their populations," he added.

Sanctions should only be used as a last resort, after all other peaceful means of settling disputes have been exhausted, said Muhammad-Bande.

He urged member states to make the most effective use of existing procedures and methods for the prevention of disputes and their pacific settlement, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.