UN Sanctions and Mediation Project
Mediation and UN sanctions are two essential policy instruments used by the United Nations in its efforts to prevent and resolve conflict. Even though these two tools are almost always deployed in conjunction, the degree of their overlap in time and the sequencing of their application vary. Relatively little is known about when and whether these tools work well together or work poorly. Preliminary evidence suggests that in some recent cases their dual application improved, and in others, diminished the peace and security environment.
Within the UN system, there is no internal guidance on the integrated application of these tools. The gap in knowledge is further exacerbated by the fact that the two expert communities concerned – mediation and sanctions experts – generally operate independently of one another and are driven by different logics and sometimes by different mandates. As a result, there are sensitivities regarding the joint application of sanctions and mediation. However, given the inter-linkages between mediation and sanctions in practice, and particularly in contexts where the UN Security Council is the common mandating authority, it is imperative that these two communities have a forum in which they can explore when and how these tools work best together in order to accomplish larger peace and security goals.