IASC Sanctions Assessment Handbook for Assessing the Humanitarian Implications of Sanctions, 2004

Published Date

The Security Council and governments often use sanctions as a means to facilitate international peace and security. The information provided in this handbook is relevant to a number of different types of sanctions, including: arms embargoes, financial sanctions, travel-related sanctions and targeted trade sanctions. The methods presented are applicable to United Nations (UN)–imposed sanctions and to those imposed unilaterally or by regional actors. The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidance to humanitarian practitioners and policymakers on identifying and measuring possible humanitarian implications of sanctions.  

The handbook consists of six parts: 

1) Parts one to four introduce the sanction assessment methodology and targeted sanctions, and provide the conceptual framework in humanitarian assessments under sanctions and human rights 

2) Part five introduces methodological challenges in studies of sanctions, baseline assessment of humanitarian conditions, humanitarian implications of sanctions, and humanitarian assessment for particular types of sanctions

3) Part six provides standards for humanitarian assessments, such as requests for assessments by the sanctioning authority, agencies and investigators tasked with undertaking assessments; writing a humanitarian assessment report; and how to ensure transparency and accountability