Mr. Sanctions

United Nations Sanctions Committees (UNSC) Resources List

This page provides links to the official resources of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions system, covering all 15 active sanctions committees, the UN consolidated list, delisting procedures, monitoring bodies, and related subsidiary organs. The UNSC has established 31 sanctions regimes since 1966, of which 15 remain active. Each active regime is administered by a dedicated sanctions committee, supported by monitoring teams, groups or panels of experts in 11 of the 15 cases. Retrieved: July 3, 2026.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – Overview and Cross-Cutting Resources

The Security Council can impose sanctions under Article 41 of the UN Charter (Chapter VII) as part of its mandate to maintain or restore international peace and security. Sanctions measures range from arms embargoes and travel bans to asset freezes and trade restrictions. Each regime is administered by a committee comprising all 15 Security Council members, chaired by a non-permanent member.

Designated Persons Lists and Screening Tools

  • UN Security Council Consolidated List – The authoritative list of all individuals and entities designated under active UNSC sanctions regimes. Maintained by the UN Secretariat and updated following each Committee decision. The primary screening reference for implementing UN sanctions obligations across all member states.

Sanctions Programs and Regimes

  • Sanctions Committees – Main Page – The UNSC’s central sanctions hub: overview of sanctions as a tool under Chapter VII, description of all 15 active regimes and their committees, links to the consolidated list, Ombudsperson, Focal Point for De-listing, Pool of Experts, Informal Working Group, narrative summaries, and the register of terminated regimes.
  • 2025 Fact Sheet on UNSC Sanctions – The Security Council’s current fact sheet summarising all active sanctions regimes, the measures in force under each, and the supporting monitoring bodies. A concise at-a-glance reference to the sanctions system as a whole.
  • Terminated Sanctions Regimes – Register of all UNSC sanctions regimes that have been terminated, including Southern Rhodesia, South Africa, Former Yugoslavia, Angola, Liberia, Eritrea/Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and others.

Background and Policy

  • Narrative Summaries of Reasons for Listing – Cross-committee repository of narrative summaries explaining the reasons why specific individuals and entities have been designated by UNSC sanctions committees. A key due diligence and compliance research resource.
  • Informal Working Group on General Security Council Sanctions Issues – The UNSC working group established to develop general recommendations on sanctions methodology, including listing and delisting criteria, humanitarian exemptions, monitoring mechanisms, and the strengthening of sanctions implementation.

Active Sanctions Committees

There are currently 15 active UNSC sanctions regimes, each administered by a committee of the full Security Council. Each committee page includes: the sanctions measures in force (arms embargo, travel ban, asset freeze and/or sector-specific restrictions), the committee’s mandate, listing and delisting criteria, exemptions, resolutions, committee guidelines, press releases, panel/group/monitoring team reports, implementation reports, and annual committee reports. Where a monitoring body exists, its work and mandate and reports are accessible from the committee page.

Africa

  • Al-Shabaab Sanctions Committee (2713) – Somalia. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities threatening peace and stability in Somalia or obstructing humanitarian assistance. Supported by a Panel of Experts.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions Committee (1533) – DRC. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities contributing to violence and human rights violations in the eastern DRC. Supported by a Group of Experts.
  • Sudan Sanctions Committee (1591) – Sudan. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities impeding the peace process, constituting a threat to stability in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan, or violating international humanitarian law or human rights law. Supported by a Panel of Experts.
  • Libya Sanctions Committee (1970) – Libya. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities threatening Libya’s peace, stability and security or violating the arms embargo. Supported by a Panel of Experts.
  • Guinea-Bissau Sanctions Committee (2048) – Guinea-Bissau. Travel ban targeting individuals who have taken actions to undermine peace, stability and security in Guinea-Bissau. No Panel of Experts.
  • South Sudan Sanctions Committee (2206) – South Sudan. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities responsible for or complicit in actions threatening peace and stability in South Sudan. Supported by a Panel of Experts.
  • Central African Republic Sanctions Committee (2745) – CAR. Renamed from Committee 2127 in July 2024 following the partial lifting of the arms embargo on the CAR government. Maintains targeted arms embargo against armed groups and associated individuals, plus travel ban and asset freeze on designated persons. Supported by a Panel of Experts. Note: the mandate was set to run through 31 July 2026; check the committee page for the current renewal status.
  • Yemen Sanctions Committee (2140) – Yemen. Travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities threatening peace, security and stability in Yemen. Supported by a Panel of Experts.

Middle East

  • Iraq Sanctions Committee (1518) – Iraq. Asset freeze targeting former Iraqi government members and their family members, and entities owned or controlled by them. Relates to frozen assets from the Saddam Hussein-era regime. No Panel of Experts.
  • Lebanon Sanctions Committee (1636) – Lebanon. Travel ban and asset freeze related to the investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and related individuals who are deemed to have contributed to the attack. No Panel of Experts.
  • Iran Sanctions Committee (1737) – Iran. Arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities associated with Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. These measures had been suspended under resolution 2231 (2015) implementing the JCPOA; following the E3 (France, Germany, UK) invocation of the resolution 2231 snapback mechanism, the UN states the pre-2015 sanctions were reimposed on 27 September 2025 and the 1737 Committee and its sanctions list were reinstated. The validity of the snapback and the Committee’s operational status are contested by Russia and China. Supported by a Panel of Experts.

Americas

  • Haiti Sanctions Committee (2653) – Haiti. Travel ban and asset freeze targeting individuals and entities contributing to instability, violence and criminal activities in Haiti, including gang leaders and those supporting or financing them. Supported by a Panel of Experts.

Global Counter-Terrorism and Non-Proliferation

  • ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee (1267/1989/2253) – Global. The largest and most active UNSC sanctions regime: travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo targeting ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities worldwide. Supported by a Monitoring Team. Features the dedicated Ombudsperson petition process for individuals seeking removal from the list.
  • Taliban Sanctions Committee (1988) – Afghanistan. Travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo targeting the Taliban and associated individuals and entities in Afghanistan. Separated from the ISIL/Al-Qaida regime in 2011. Supported by a Monitoring Team.
  • DPRK Sanctions Committee (1718) – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Comprehensive arms embargo, asset freeze, travel ban and trade restrictions targeting North Korea’s nuclear, ballistic missile and WMD programmes; includes prohibitions on oil, coal, seafood, financial services, and other sectors. The Committee’s Panel of Experts was disbanded in April 2024 after the renewal of its mandate was vetoed; the Committee itself remains active. Monitoring of DPRK sanctions implementation is now carried out outside the UN by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (see below).

Delisting Procedures and Due Process

The UNSC has established two distinct mechanisms for individuals and entities seeking removal from sanctions lists, reflecting the 2005 World Summit’s call for fair and clear procedures for the imposition and lifting of sanctions measures.

Licensing – Application Procedures and Forms

  • Office of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee – Independent mechanism established by UNSCR 1904 (2009) to receive and process petitions from individuals, groups, undertakings or entities seeking removal from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida consolidated list. The Ombudsperson reviews petitions, gathers information from relevant states, and makes a recommendation to the Committee. The most developed due process mechanism in the UNSC sanctions system.
  • Focal Point for De-listing – Mechanism established by UNSCR 1730 (2006) for individuals, groups, undertakings or entities to submit de-listing requests to sanctions committees other than the ISIL/Al-Qaida Committee (which uses the Ombudsperson). The Focal Point transmits requests to the relevant committee for consideration. Covers all active regimes except ISIL/Al-Qaida.

Monitoring Teams, Groups and Panels of Experts

Ten monitoring bodies – teams, groups and panels of experts – support the work of 11 of the 15 active sanctions committees. These bodies monitor implementation of sanctions measures, investigate violations, engage with member states and regional organizations, and publish reports on sanctions evasion patterns, illicit trafficking, and compliance. Their reports are among the most operationally detailed primary sources available to sanctions practitioners and are published on each committee’s page.

Annual Reports and Statistics

  • Pool of Experts – The UNSC’s coordination page for the recruitment and appointment process for all monitoring team, group and panel of experts members. Lists expert vacancies and provides information on the application process for positions supporting sanctions committees. The individual panels’ and groups’ published reports are accessible from each committee’s own page.
  • Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) – Multilateral mechanism established in October 2024 by 11 states (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to monitor and report on implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK. It was created to fill the gap left when the 1718 (DPRK) Panel of Experts was disbanded in 2024, and publishes public reports on DPRK sanctions evasion (for example, on DPRK-Russia military cooperation and on DPRK cyber and IT-worker activity). Note: the MSMT operates outside the UN framework and is not a UN subsidiary body.

Related UN Subsidiary Bodies

Two additional UNSC subsidiary bodies operate in adjacent areas and are frequently relevant to sanctions compliance practitioners: the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) monitors implementation of UNSCR 1373 (the framework resolution requiring all states to prevent and suppress terrorism financing and take measures against terrorist acts), and the 1540 Committee monitors implementation of UNSCR 1540 (non-proliferation of WMD to non-state actors).

Background and Policy

  • Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) – Established by UNSCR 1373 (2001) following the September 11 attacks, the CTC monitors all UN member states’ implementation of counter-terrorism obligations, including measures to prevent terrorism financing, freeze terrorist assets, and deny safe haven to terrorists. Supported by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). Note: The CTC does not administer a consolidated sanctions list but operates alongside the ISIL/Al-Qaida and Taliban committees.
  • Non-Proliferation Committee (1540 Committee) – Established by UNSCR 1540 (2004), the 1540 Committee monitors implementation of binding obligations on all UN member states to adopt and enforce measures against the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their delivery systems to non-state actors. Relevant to sanctions practitioners working on export controls, dual-use items, and WMD-related designations.

Retrieved: July 3, 2026