GENEVA (09 August 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Douhan, announced today the launch of the Sanctions Research Platform.

The platform is a comprehensive online repository of resources and research related to the issue of unilateral sanctions and their impact on human rights.

It is designed to serve as an independent reference tool for collecting, researching and analysing global sanction data. The platform is open and available to anyone interested in or working on issues related to sanctions and their impact, with no access or usage restrictions. It contains resources in all six official UN languages - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

"I am thrilled by the successful launch of the Sanctions Research Platform and opportunities that this online tool could provide to academics and practitioners around the world in their research and advocacy, as well as to anyone with a keen interest in sanctions and their impact on human rights,” Douhan said. “I wish to extend an invitation to all actors and stakeholders to support this initiative, which is constantly evolving, and help it grow and expand its reach.”     

The platform is the result of a two-year development process and contributes to strengthening global awareness and fostering research through an integrated system dedicated to the topic.

It also consolidates links to various databases and sources relating to sanctions. Users are invited to submit relevant materials, including publications and multimedia files, either directly through the online platform or via a message to the platform’s generic email, to support and enhance the platform.

The Sanctions Research Platform is available online. 

ENDS

Alena Douhan is the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.