Making Targeted Sanctions Effective - Small Arms Survey

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PART II: MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN THE ROLE OF THE UN | 35
overall capacity to refine and tighten targeted sanctions. Their status
as independent bodies has allowed them to undertake the “naming
and shaming” of sanctions violators. Though at times controversial,
this practice has led to improvement in Member State awareness of
the importance of improved compliance with targeted sanctions.
As with any innovation, the work of the Expert Panels and Monitoring
Mechanisms has proceeded with some measure of trial and
error. Their experience provides several lessons on ways to improve
their working methods, enhance their capacities, and maximize their
contribution to the goal of implementation. Consultations with
members of the Panels and Monitoring Mechanisms, with Sanctions
Committee Chairpersons, and with officers of the Sanctions
Branch, revealed a number of areas in need of further improvement.
The Selection of Independent Experts
In the past, the procedure for the selection of independent experts
for the panels and monitoring mechanisms was for the Secretariat
to propose candidates for Security Council approval, based on suggestions
provided by Member States and, sometimes, other experts
in a particular field of specialization relevant to the mandated tasks
of the particular sanctions regime. Following UN-wide practice, experts
were selected according to criteria of both functional and regional
expertise. While this process worked sufficiently well in identifying
appropriate candidates, it has proven very time-consuming.
Objections were raised that the established method and criteria for
selecting experts were insufficiently standardized and transparent.
In response, the Sanctions Branch recently has established an open
and standing Roster of Experts from which future members of Expert
Panels and Monitoring Mechanisms should be drawn. Both
the roster and the criteria for expert selection will require further development,
particularly in establishing transparent and uniform criteria
of selection.
Systematic Orientation of Experts
As panel members are drawn from a pool of experts from a variety