A/HRC/45/7 Islamic Republic of Iran. Consequently, she intends to develop cooperation with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and IOM to focus on improving knowledge about the impact of sanctions on the human rights of migrants and refugees. 83. The expanded use of information and communication technologies as the grounds, means and mechanisms leading to the application of unilateral sanctions encourages the Special Rapporteur to engage with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UPU, as their sphere of work increasingly encompasses issues in which sanctions and other coercive measures affect human rights. Specifically, ITU has become more involved in matters relating to the governance of technologies that it had traditionally handled only at a technical level, while UPU is drawn into issues involving sanctions that disrupt the orderly functioning of the global postal system. 84. By analogy, the Special Rapporteur believes that unilateral sanctions can have a negative impact on international research, the development of knowledge, access to information and the rights to education and freedom of expression. The Special Rapporteur deems that cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is desirable with respect to clarifying this impact and developing guidance for engaging in academic endeavours in the context of sanctions. C. Networking cooperation with regional actors 85. Regional organizations play an important role in fostering cooperation between their member States and in protecting human rights. The Special Rapporteur plans to maintain and build on the valuable work of her predecessor in developing contacts and establishing an ongoing dialogue with European Union officials, as well as with the European Court of Justice, which is periodically called upon to judge the legality of United Nations, European Union and United States sanctions, and other relevant organs. The previous Special Rapporteur has noted concerns among European officials that European Union unilateral sanctions may at times adversely affect human rights or result in extraterritorial effects. 63 86. The Special Rapporteur believes it is important to develop a cooperative relationship with the Council of Europe, in view of its interaction with States with respect to their human rights activities, and with the European Court of Human Rights, which periodically rules on the legality of the implementation of United Nations and other unilateral sanctions applied by States. 87. The Special Rapporteur plans to establish ongoing dialogues with other regional actors that sometimes impose sanctions against States and/or individuals for violating norms of conduct embodied in the organizations’ charters or other documents, with the aim of ensuring that human rights are not negatively affected. Among the relevant organizations are the League of Arab States, the African Union and the Organization of American States. VI. Other projected activities of the Special Rapporteur A. Individual communications 88. It has been repeatedly recognized by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly that States should behave in accordance with international law, including human rights, refugee and humanitarian standards. If they do not, their activities could be qualified as unilateral coercive measures. The rights of individuals can only be effectively protected in the presence of effective remedies. Unilateral sanctions have enormous humanitarian effects on the population in general, as well as its individual members. 89. The Special Rapporteur reaffirms her assurance of the importance of communications with direct and indirect victims of unilateral coercive measures and civil society actors concerning individual cases, general patterns and trends of human rights 63 A/HRC/39/54/Add.1, para. 45. 15