5
I.
Introduction
By virtue of Article 41 of the UN Charter, the Security Council
wields one of its most persuasive instruments. Sanctions can deter
non-constitutional changes, constrain terrorism, promote non-proliferation, defend human rights and support peaceful transitions. In
almost all of the 25 cases where sanctions have been used by the UN,
they have been part of an overarching strategy featuring peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding elements … We know that
sanctions can work—when they are designed and implemented well
and when they enjoy the support of Member States on and outside
the Security Council.1
– UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson
As global threats to international peace and security have evolved, the UN
Security Council has continually innovated an essential element of its collective security framework—UN targeted sanctions. From a blunt instrument with humanitarian consequences to more refined measures targeted
on specific goods or services as well as specific individuals and entities, UN
sanctions have matured in both design and application.
Over the past quarter of a century, the Security Council has
deployed sanctions with increasing regularity to address evolving threats to international peace and security.2 Today, there are
16 sanctions committees, supported by 71 experts working on
12 monitoring teams, groups and panels, at a price tag of more than $32
million dollars a year. Sanctions have been used to counter international
terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law, and the protection
of civilians; threats to peace and national reconciliation efforts; attacks on
UN peacekeepers and publicly inciting hatred and violence; and the illegal
1
2
Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Remarks at the
High Level Review on UN Sanctions, 28 May 2014, http://www.hlr-unsanctions.
org/statements/dsg.
See Appendix 1 for an overview of UN sanctions, 1990-2015.