UN Expert Warns Unilateral Sanctions Undermine Rights and Global Development

The growing use of unilateral sanctions and widespread over-compliance by both states and private actors are eroding fundamental rights and slowing global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a UN expert has warned.

Speaking at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures, highlighted the severe humanitarian and socio-economic consequences of sanctions when imposed outside the multilateral framework.

Widespread Humanitarian Impact

Douhan’s report underscored how sanctions affect a broad range of human rights. These include:

• Right to property – undermined by sectoral and targeted measures such as asset freezes and confiscation of property.

• Right to work – sanctions often fuel unemployment, wage cuts, deteriorating working conditions, and a shift toward informal labour.

• Impact on small and medium-sized businesses – restricted access to markets and finance weakens entrepreneurship and innovation.

• Social rights – disruptions in health, food security, education, water, sanitation, and adequate living standards disproportionately affect vulnerable groups.

She warned that sanctions often extend beyond their intended targets, creating ripple effects that harm ordinary citizens, especially women, children, and marginalised communities.

Cumulative Effects and Over-Compliance

Douhan noted that the negative effects of unilateral sanctions are compounded by over-compliance—when private companies, banks, and insurers take an excessively cautious approach, refusing to engage even in permitted humanitarian or commercial activities for fear of penalties.

“Sanctions have cumulative effects and wider implications, including for third States and sanctioning States themselves,” she explained, stressing that over-compliance deepens isolation and worsens humanitarian conditions.

Call for a Global Review of Sanctions

The Special Rapporteur called on sanctioning states and regional blocs to review all unilateral sanctions and lift those that lack authorisation from the UN Security Council or do not meet the legal conditions for retorsions or countermeasures.

“I urge all States not to impede the implementation of humanitarian resolutions of the Security Council, including through blocking payments, insurance or delivery of humanitarian cargo,” Douhan said.

She also emphasised the shared global responsibility for violations of economic, social, and cultural rights resulting from sanctions, urging states to prioritise humanitarian needs over geopolitical strategies.

Responsibility of Sanctioned States

While acknowledging that sanctioned governments retain the primary responsibility to use all available resources to mitigate the effects on their populations, Douhan cautioned that these resources are often “dramatically insufficient” when compounded by unilateral restrictions and enforcement measures.

Role of International Organisations

The expert also urged international organisations not to legitimise unilateral sanctions and called on UN agencies such as the WHO, ILO, FAO, UNDP, and UNESCO to monitor and report on their impacts using the Monitoring and Impact Assessment Tool.

She singled out the International Labour Organization (ILO) to focus specifically on the erosion of the right to work, decent employment, and social security under sanctions regimes.

A Rights-Based Approach to Global Sanctions

Douhan concluded by stressing the importance of aligning sanctions policies with international law and human rights standards. She recommended that states follow the Guiding Principles on Sanctions, Business and Human Rights, ensure protection of critical infrastructure, and put humanitarian exemptions into practice without obstruction.

By reframing sanctions policy around human rights protections, she argued, the international community can prevent further erosion of economic and social rights and keep the world on track toward meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.