Caracas, March 11 (RHC)-- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed her deep concern on Tuesday over unilateral, coercive U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

Prensa Latina news agency reports that during a briefing to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on the situation on the South American country, Bachelet highlighted the impact of U.S. sanctions on the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Services (CONVIASA) and the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

The High Commissioner warned that such measures reduce Venezuela's resources for social spending, for which over 70% of the country's budget is available.

According to a Venezuelan Foreign Ministry press release, the economic sanctions against Venezuela generated a sudden decrease in domestic oil income, from 42 billion dollars in 2013 to barely four billion dollars in 2018.

The UN high commissioner also warned about the impact of strict scrutiny of the financial sector on public services and population in general as a result of such punitive actions contrary to the UN Charter.

The Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the UN-Geneva, Jorge Valero, for his part, reiterated his firm rejection of 'unsuccessful and interfering' procedures used by United Nations Human Rights mechanisms to monitor the human rights situation in the South American nation.