Executive summary
3
be conducted of relevant organizations with which greater engagement and
information-sharing would promote synergies benefitting sanctions compliance. Stovepipes or barriers between the UN and other entities with pertinent mandates and relevant expertise need to be broken down, and greater
consultations, contact, and partnerships explored.
Focus on national-level implementation
Sanctions can be complex and challenging to translate into national measures,
a prerequisite for effective implementation. Enhanced interaction between
UN policymakers designing sanctions and national level actors—regulatory
authorities and the private sector—responsible for carrying out the measures
is necessary. Systematic outreach to and engagement of the private sector to
understand compliance challenges, such as the need for standard definitions
and guidelines, better identifiers and updates of lists, use of catch-all provisions, de-risking concerns and uncertainty leading to over-compliance, and
evasion techniques, can result in practical implementation guidance.
Ensure fairness of sanctions procedures to address due
process and human rights concerns
Important reforms to ensure fair and clear procedures in the designation
of sanctioned individuals/entities have taken place, and the HLR urged the
Council to continue such efforts through routine review of designations,
greater transparency of decisions, and consideration of extending the mandate of the Ombudsperson to sanctions regimes beyond the 1267 committee,
and expanding the mandate of the Focal Point.
Enhance capacity building assistance and training
A consistent theme throughout the HLR concerned the importance of building capacity within the UN system and in Member States to understand
better and implement more effectively UN sanctions. Existing assistance relevant to sanctions is under-utilised and needs to be more effectively deployed.
A mapping exercise should be undertaken to provide a comprehensive assessment of available assistance and prioritization of states in need of assistance.
To ensure appropriate resources and focus on sanctions capacity building, a
trust fund should be created.