UN sanctions

Russia Has Used Its UN Seat to Hide Atrocities Committed in the Central African Republic, Experts Say

• May 9, 2022

The presence of the Russian state-linked Wagner Group mercenaries in the diamond-rich Central African Republic has been bloody. Now it seems that Russia has used its power in the United Nations Security Council to protect its exploits and geostrategic interests in the African country, a nation hanging on by a thread. Given international outcry …

Africa, Human Rights, Security Council

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WORLDVIEWS

Thinking Outside the Box: How UN Sanctions Can Be Used to Bring More Women Into Peace Talks

Sophie Huvé and Rebecca Brubaker

• July 13, 2021

Since 2008, the United Nations Security Council has been integrating part of the women, peace and security agenda into its sanctions regimes — albeit inconsistently and with mixed results. So far, this practice has mostly focused on protecting women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence in conflicts with a twofold approach. In six …

Gender Violence, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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COVID-19

Covid-19 Could Shake Up Global Sanctions Regimes, UN Expert Says

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• April 20, 2020

During the last week of March, Hilal Elver, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, was one of three high-level UN representatives to call for an easing of some sanctions to help alleviate the impact of the coronavirus. UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a letter to G-20 countries asking them to …

Covid-19, Secretary-General, Security Council

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P5 MONITOR

Playing Fair With Sanctions: Is There a Method to the Madness?

Enrico Carisch

• March 8, 2018

Criticisms over a lack of fairness of United Nations sanctions and inconsistencies in their application are frequent and routine — and not without justification. For decades, human-rights experts have pointed to the paradox that unreliable practices, in the words of one expert, render “the UN sanctions system noncompliant with the UN’s human rights standards.” …

P5 Monitor, Peace and Security, Security Council

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BOOKS

In a World of Evolving UN Sanctions, an Emphasis on the Humanitarian Effects

Barbara Crossette

• January 13, 2018

Debates over how to deal with issues like North Korea’s nuclear weapons or the reliability of Iran to adhere to its role in a multiparty nuclear deal have brought questions about the value, design and human effects of sanctions to the fore at the United Nations and in national capitals. Are sanctions a tool …

BOOKS, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council

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WORLDVIEWS

After 50 Years of UN Sanctions, Is the System Broken?

Enrico Carisch and Loraine Rickard-Martin

• December 1, 2017

With only few of the current United Nations sanctions cases accomplishing their political objectives, it is not unreasonable to wonder why the system seems broken. As the 50th anniversary of the first use of this important political tool is duly noted, the short answer is that nothing is wrong with sanctions. The problem is with …

Libya, Nuclear Disarmament, Peace and Security, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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GEOPOLITICS

Russia Blocks Egypt From Pushing for More Oversight of UN Sanctions

Dulcie Leimbach

• July 31, 2017

Striving to leave an indelible mark as president of the United Nations Security Council in August, Egypt proposed that an informal working group, focused comprehensively on sanctions regimes, should be set up to advise the Council. But one powerful member of the Council, Russia, has said no to the idea, so it has been …