Global Policy Forum

Note by the President of the Security Council
Ambassador Celso Amorim

I. The President of the Security Council wishes to state that all members of the Security Council have indicated their agreement that the following practical proposals will be used to improve the work of the sanctions committees in accordance with the resolutions concerned.

1. The sanctions committees should establish appropriate arrangements and channels of communication with organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as other intergovernmental and regional organizations, neighbouring countries and other countries and parties concerned, in order to improve the monitoring of the implementation of sanctions regimes and the assessment of their humanitarian consequences on the population of the target State and their economic consequences on neighbouring and other States.

2. The Chairpersons of the sanctions committees should make visits to the regions concerned, as appropriate, in order to obtain first-hand accounts of the impact of sanctions regimes and the results and difficulties in their implementation.

3. Member States should provide the sanctions committees with all information available on alleged violations of arms embargoes, and other sanctions regimes. Sanctions committees should seek to clarify all cases of alleged violations.

4. The Secretariat should be requested to provide the sanctions committees with information from published sources, radio, television or other media concerning alleged violations of the sanctions regimes or other issues relevant to the activities of the committees.

5. The guidelines of the sanctions committees should include clear provisions for strict action to be taken by the committees on alleged violations of the sanctions regimes.

6. The sanctions committees should, as far as possible, harmonize their guidelines and routines of work.

7. The technical effectiveness of the mandatory measures should be periodically assessed by the sanctions committees on the basis of inputs from Member States, reports prepared by the Secretariat and other available sources of information.

8. The practice of hearing technical presentations of information by organizations assisting in the enforcement of Security Council sanctions during closed meetings of the sanctions committees should be continued. The target or affected countries, as well as concerned organizations, should be better able to exercise the right of explaining or presenting their points of view to the sanctions committees, while taking fully into consideration current committee practices. The presentations should be expert and comprehensive.

9. The Secretariat should be requested to provide, whenever necessary, its assessment of the humanitarian and economic impact of sanctions to the sanctions committees.

10. Periodic meetings of the sanctions committees should be held for discussions on the humanitarian and economic impact of sanctions.

11. The sanctions committees should monitor, throughout the sanctions regime, the humanitarian impact of sanctions on vulnerable groups, including children, and make required adjustments of the exemption mechanisms to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The indicators for assessment developed by the Secretariat could be used by the committees.

12. The sanctions committees should consider and monitor the possible impact of sanctions on the diplomatic efforts towards implementing Security Council resolutions and make required adjustments on the exemption mechanisms as appropriate.

13. In discharging their mandates, the sanctions committees should as much as possible seek to utilize the expertise and practical assistance of Member States, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and all humanitarian and other relevant organizations.

14. United Nations agencies as well as humanitarian organizations and other relevant organizations should benefit from special, simplified procedures in requesting humanitarian exemptions, in order to facilitate the implementation of their humanitarian programmes.

15. Consideration should be given to how humanitarian organizations could have the possibility to apply for humanitarian exemptions directly to the sanctions committees.

16. Foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies should be exempted from United Nations sanctions regimes. Basic or standard medical and agricultural equipment and basic or standard educational items should also be exempted. Consideration should be given to the drawing up of lists for that purpose. Other essential humanitarian goods should be considered for exemption. In this regard, it is recognized that efforts should be made to allow the population of the targeted countries to have access to appropriate resources and procedures for financing humanitarian imports.

17. Sanctions committees should consider ways to ensure that exemptions to sanctions regimes on religious grounds be made more effective.

18. The transparency of the sanctions committees' work should be increased, inter alia, through substantive and detailed briefings by the Chairpersons.

19. Summary records of the sanctions committees' formal meetings should be made available promptly.

20. Public information on the sanctions committees' work should be made available on the Internet and other means of communication.

II. The members of the Council will continue their consideration of ways to improve the work of the sanctions committee.