Sanctions can end up hindering humanitarian assistance and the provision of life-saving medical care in armed conflict, and forestalling that outcome was the subject of a January 28th policy forum at IPI, co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.The discussion centered on a new IPI report, Making Sanctions Smarter: Safeguarding Humanitarian […]
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In recent decades, sanctions have increasingly been used as a foreign policy tool. The UN Security Council has imposed a total of fourteen sanctions regimes alongside those imposed autonomously by the EU, the US, and other countries. Despite efforts to institute more targeted sanctions regimes, these regimes continue to impede or prevent the provision of […]
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Discussing her new book The Lonely War: One Woman’s Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran at IPI on December 15th, author Nazila Fathi said that 35 years after the revolution, Iran is divided between hardliners and a large moderate middle class, but admitted that it is still unclear which of the two sides will […]
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This report assesses the United Nations Security Council’s current approach to drawing down sanctions in intrastate war situations. After examining broader questions surrounding the UN’s authority to impose sanctions and the corresponding limits on these powers, the report assesses criteria used by the Council to terminate sanctions.
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It is the responsibility of UN member states to implement sanctions adopted by the Security Council, but the council plays an important role in facilitating and promoting effective implementation.
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As sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council have become increasingly sophisticated and targeted, they have also become more and more difficult to implement effectively. Currently there are fourteen active UN sanctions regimes. Among them are the sanctions regimes on Iran and North Korea.
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North Korea’s underground nuclear test on February 12, 2013, was the latest in a series of provocations that form part of a slow-motion proliferation strategy. As the UN Security Council responded with sanctions in early March, the world body again contributed to a pattern of action, reaction, trust, and mistrust with the recalcitrant state.
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“If you are going to deny Iran its legitimate rights to enjoy peaceful technologies—chemical, biological, and nuclear—then what would be the reason for Iran to stay a member of chemical, biological, and nuclear conventions? Only commitments, no rights?” asked Seyed Hossein Mousavian, at a Beyond the Headlines event at IPI on June 26, 2012. Mr. […]
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Jack Lang, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Legal Issues Related to Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, said at an IPI event on January 25, 2011, “We have to attack piracy at the head.”Mr. Lang referred several times to piracy “masterminds,” and asserted, “Each time that we know a mastermind, we have to apply […]
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As negotiators and climate leaders around the world process the outcomes of COP30, there is widespread disappointment that the parties did not agree on a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels (TAFF). This omission reflected the complexity of the…
In February 2025, African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa to announce a bold challenge to the global financial order: the continent will launch its own credit rating agency. The move follows years of mounting frustration over the…
Since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region…
Armed conflict no longer unfolds solely on the battlefield. It is fought fiercely along digital frontlines—from…
President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan and the New York Declaration on a two-state solution have created an opening for peace in Gaza—though one that is fragile and fraught with danger. These blueprints are wide in scope but light on detail where it matters, including on stabilization…
In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed the escalating…
This December, the mandate of the UN…
Around 1.3 billion people experience significant disability—around 16% of the world’s population.…
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of Resolution 1325, which launched the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda. This resolution…
Never has the cliché that we are at a pivotal moment in Middle East diplomacy been more…
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The International Peace Institute is an independent, non-profit organization working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet. Through its research, convening, and strategic advising, IPI provides innovative recommendations for the United Nations System, member states, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. With staff from around the world and a broad range of academic fields, IPI has offices facing United Nations headquarters in New York.
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