Decoding the United Nations Sanctions Register in the Year 2024
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) plays a crucial role in maintaining international peace and security. One of the tools at its disposal is sanctions, which are imposed as punitive measures to enforce international law, maintain or restore peace, and compel states or entities to comply with its decisions.
UNSC sanctions can take various forms, including diplomatic, economic, travel, and sport sanctions. Member states are obligated to enforce these sanctions within their jurisdictions. For example, diplomatic sanctions involve the termination of cooperation, such as country embassies and joint cultural events. Sport sanctions prevent a country's athletes from competing in international events. Travel sanctions involve restrictions on travel, ranging from comprehensive bans for all nationals of a country to aviation bans on all flights into or out of a country.
While the UNSC imposes sanctions on individuals and entities, it does not provide a straightforward "country list" of sanctioned countries. As of July 2025, the UNSC Consolidated List includes individuals and entities under targeted sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes. The sanctions are applied under specific Security Council Resolutions, with resolution 2653 (2022) mentioning 7 individuals and 2 entities as of the last update on 8 July 2025.
However, comprehensive sanctions against entire countries are more commonly administered by other bodies such as OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S.). According to recent information on OFAC sanctions, countries currently under comprehensive or significant sanctions regimes include Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Liberia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, The Balkans, and Zimbabwe.
UN sanctions are organized into two main sections: one for individuals and one for entities. Each entry on the UN sanctions list includes a narrative summary explaining the reasons for the sanctions, where available. The sanctions are aimed at eliminating terrorism, weapons proliferation, human rights violations, money laundering, deliberate destabilization of sovereign countries, and drug trafficking, among other threats.
Economic sanctions are another tool used by the UNSC. These include trade bans and barriers, such as increased fees in certain economic sectors like food, weapons, and pharmaceuticals. The UNSC has 15 members, including 5 permanent members with veto powers.
In summary, while the UNSC Consolidated List explicitly covers sanctioned individuals and entities, comprehensive country-level sanctions are mostly managed by entities like OFAC. To get the most precise current details, consulting the official UN Security Council Sanctions website or their latest resolutions is advised.
Businesses and politics often intersect with the UNSC's decisions on sanctions, as economic sanctions can impact various sectors, such as trade bans and increased fees in food, weapons, and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, general news and crime-and-justice sections may report on countries under comprehensive or significant sanctions regimes, like Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Liberia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, The Balkans, and Zimbabwe, as these sanctions are mostly managed by entities like OFAC.
