UN Security Council sanctions list
Also called UN Consolidated List, UNSC sanctions list
The UN Security Council sanctions list, published as the UN Security Council Consolidated List, names the individuals and entities subject to sanctions imposed by the Security Council. Measures include asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes. All UN member states must implement them, so the list feeds national sanctions lists worldwide.
How it works
The Security Council adopts sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, usually through a regime for a country or threat, such as ISIL and Al-Qaida, North Korea or Libya. Each regime has a committee that adds and removes names, often on proposals from member states, and publishes a narrative summary of the reasons. The Consolidated List brings all regimes' entries together, with identifiers such as dates of birth, aliases and passport numbers.
Member states give listings effect in domestic law. The UK designates UN-named persons under its sanctions regulations, the EU adds them through Council decisions and regulations, and the US implements them under the UN Participation Act alongside its own lists. Firms screen customers and payments against national lists that include UN names, and many also screen the UN list directly to catch new listings before national lists update.
The rules
Allows the Security Council to decide measures not involving armed force, including interruption of economic relations, which members must apply.
All UN member statesRequire countries to freeze without delay the funds of persons designated by the Security Council under the terrorism and proliferation regimes.
Countries and, through national law, financial institutionsRequires UK regulations that implement UN measures to provide for the designation of UN-named persons.
UK sanctions regulations implementing UN obligationsLets the President apply measures the Security Council calls for under Article 41 by regulating economic relations with any foreign country or national.
The US President and persons subject to US jurisdictionCommon questions
Do firms have to screen the UN list directly?
Legal duties usually attach to the national list, such as the UK sanctions list, the EU consolidated list or OFAC's lists. Many firms also screen the UN list because national transposition can lag a new UN listing.
How does someone get removed from the UN list?
Through the committee for the relevant regime, on a request from a member state or through the Focal Point for Delisting. For the ISIL and Al-Qaida regime, an independent Ombudsperson reviews delisting requests.
Is the UN list the same as the OFAC SDN list?
No. The SDN list includes UN-listed persons but also many names designated by the US alone. The UN list covers only persons listed by Security Council committees.
