UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations has launched a new initiative to assess the impact of sanctions on civilians. Frequently employed by the U.N. Security Council since 1990, sanctions have led to increased concerns about the potential humanitarian consequences, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday.
The U.N.-headquarters-based agency said it had devised a standardized method to figure out whether or how sanctions could cause harm.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "has been a steadfast and determined advocate for efforts to ensure that U.N. sanctions do not negatively impact the living conditions of civilian populations in targeted countries," OCHA said in a statement.
Since 1990, the UN has approved 13 cases of sanctions. By contrast, from 1945 to 1989, the U.N.-backed sanctions involved only two cases.
OCHA, which has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that U.N. sanctions do not negatively impact the living conditions of civilians, said its latest initiative would make sanctions more effective by assessing humanitarian implications before, during and after enforcement.
