UN Sanctions Reform - The Watson Institute for International Studies

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Workshop on UN Sanctions 16-17 July 2004 Security Council, as well as those joining the Council next year and other interested States. In addition, UN Secretariat staff and selected experts were invited to participate. For a complete list of participants, please see p. XX. Location and Format In light of previous experience organizing sanctions workshops with UN Missions and Secretariat staff, the Watson Institute hosted the meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Approximately a three-hour train ride from New York, the venue provides an “off-site” environment conducive to informal exchanges comparable to other UN retreats, and permits an intensive, uninterrupted focus on the issues. Given the nature of the workshop, and based on feedback from past participants, the day and a half off-site format was chosen to maximize benefits and participation. The workshop opened with a plenary session featuring presentations by Professor Peter Wallensteen of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Joseph Stephanides, Director of the Security Council Affairs Division, Department of Political Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, Alfred Fofie, UNMIL Director of Legal and Judiciary Systems Support Division and Alex Vines, Head of the Africa Programme at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, London. Their topics included an overview of the Interlaken, Bonn-Berlin, and Stockholm processes; new developments in the application of sanctions, including new directions in the use of targeted sanctions; sanctions on the ground in Liberia, and the role of expert panels in monitoring sanctions. Their presentations are summarized in Part 2 of this report. Following the opening plenary session, participants were introduced to the Simulation Exercise and divided into three working groups. The first part of the exercise encouraged participants to use the three sanctions reform manuals and to draw on components of recent UN Security Council resolutions. Participants received a hypothetical scenario concerning the fictitious war-torn country of Arcadia. In response, the groups were asked to complete a draft resolution, drawing upon the manuals in order to design effective targeted sanctions on Arcadian industry and actors. Each group later presented their draft resolutions. On the following day, participants received an update on the situation in Arcadia. Participants were asked to consider how to revise the targeted sanctions in response to changes on the ground. The working groups were asked specifically to respond to the establishment of a peace agreement by drafting a list of recommendations for revising the targeted sanctions regime. These results were presented and discussed later that morning when the groups came together for a closing session. A more detailed summary of the simulation exercise is provided in Part 3 of this report, and the full text of the scenario is provided in the attachments. Throughout the workshop, participants generated new ideas about the design and deployment of targeted sanctions. Nearly all participants agreed that the workshop helped to introduce them to new ways of thinking about sanctions. These contributions, 3
Workshop on UN Sanctions 16-17 July 2004 as well as participants’ evaluations of the organizational aspects of the workshop, are summarized in Part 4. 2. Expert Presentations To provide participants with an overview of the Interlaken, Bonn-Berlin and Stockholm Processes, new directions in targeted sanctions, and a perspective of targeted sanctions “on the ground” in Liberia, three presentations were made. Peter Wallensteen Professor Wallensteen began his comments by emphasizing that sanctions are a primary tool the UNSC has at its disposal to ensure international peace and security. While the Council increasingly utilizes sanctions to manage crises, a lack of political will to continue engagement with nations after the sanctions are lifted remains problematic. Professor Wallensteen used the example of Haiti, where successful sanctions in 1994 were followed by reduced assistance and a lack of international engagement, which led to a crisis situation ten years later. The UNSC needs to consider the entire sanctions process before committing to a sanctions regime. Following brief descriptions of the Interlaken, Bonn-Berlin, and Stockholm processes, Professor Wallensteen discussed some of the key challenges in formulating and implementing targeted sanctions. Regarding the formulation of targeted sanctions, Professor Wallensteen identified the development of target lists (where individuals are targeted) as critical in determining sanctions outcomes. Precision is required to ensure that sanctions are effective and do not cause any undue harm. Appropriate criteria for listing individuals and entities, and a clear process for delisting are important factors in this regard. Other challenges in formulating targeted sanctions include unique factors associated with non-state actors and commodities. Concerning implementation, Professor Wallensteen highlighted the dual necessities of political will and capacity on the part of Member States to implement the sanctions fully. In addition, there ought to be a reporting mechanism for each sanctions regime, to ensure compliance. Playing a supporting role, the Secretariat may require additional resources to process all of the information provided in Member State reports. The presentation concluded with Professor Wallensteen recalling that sanctions had only been used by the Security Council a total of 14 times since the end of the Cold War. In this same period, there have been more than 115 armed conflicts. Each crisis needs to be carefully evaluated to determine the likely effectiveness of sanctions. Professor Wallensteen stated that targeted sanctions were far more credible and functional than the sanctions regimes of the past and that even the threat of targeted sanctions was likely to be taken seriously by Member States. While sanctions remain a primary tool of the Security Council, there needs to be serious consideration of their formulation and 4
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