A/HRC/27/32
VIII. Conclusions
38.
In summing up the discussions at the workshop, the Chair noted that there was
a vast and complex web of unilateral coercive measures, which intersected with
multilateral sanctions and those imposed by regional organizations. Some States that
imposed unilateral coercive measures claimed to act in the name of the international
community; in other instances Security Council sanctions were imposed in support of
unilateral interests. The participants in the workshop had examined a wide range of
impacts of coercive measures, from their impact on international humanitarian and
human rights law, to their impact on the economy, on peace and security and on the
social fabric of States. A number of panellists had questioned the purposes and
effectiveness of unilateral coercive measures, whether imposed to react to prior
violations by the targeted State, in response to terrorism, as an alternative to war or in
the context of war. The Chair pointed to a need to redefine what was understood as
the effectiveness of coercive measures in order to take human rights and
humanitarian concerns into account.
39.
The Chair summarized the discussions on ensuring accountability and
humanitarian exceptions for unilateral coercive measures. She noted in particular the
analysis of existing human rights mechanisms, and the call by some speakers for the
creation of a special procedures mandate. She stressed the importance of public
opinion and the need for populations to reflect on the accountability of their own
Governments in States implementing unilateral coercive measures. In conclusion, she
stated that it was necessary to move beyond tweaking sanctions to examine the place
of sanctions in the current international setting. She noted deep-rooted problems and
grievances within the international system, and the importance for the United Nations
to give a voice to all members of the international community, in order to ensure
multilateralism, mutual respect and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
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