UN SanctionsApp

UN SanctionsApp, formerly known as “SanctionsApp,” is an interactive analytical tool that can be used in real time by both scholars and practitioners who have an interest in examining or who are working on designing and implementing United Nations (UN) targeted sanctions. It contains information about all UN sanctions imposed since 1991.

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Where does the information come from?

UN SanctionsApp is based on research originally undertaken by the Targeted Sanctions Consortium (TSC), a group of more than fifty scholars and policy practitioners worldwide with interest in and specialized knowledge of UN targeted sanctions.

The TSC project was the first comprehensive, systematic, and comparative assessment of the impacts and effectiveness of UN targeted sanctions regimes and included assessments of all UN targeted sanctions regimes from 1991 to 2013.

Since 2014, the App has been updated and maintained by a three-person team, consisting of Prof. Thomas Biersteker, Dr. Zuzana Hudáková, and Dr. Marcos Tourinho, that continues its work under the auspices of the Graduate Institute in Geneva.

Since its inception, the App has also provided access to text from hundreds of UN Security Council resolutions and incorporated interactive filtering features based on the TSC's original quantitative and qualitative datasets. Following the 2020/2021 re-launch, the UN SanctionsApp also includes an updated Checklist and Sanctions filter tool (formerly known as "Analogy finder") and a new "User guide" section (which outlines the various sections and explains the main concepts used throughout the App).

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What is included in the App?

There are six core parts of the App:

(1) Types of sanctions

Provides an overview of all types of sanctions measures imposed by the UN since 1991, including sample texts from past UN Security Council resolutions.

(2) Cases & episodes

Presents a detailed overview and analysis of 80 different episodes within all 26 sanctions regimes imposed by the UN since 1991, including an indicator of their effectiveness.

(3) Designing sanctions

Provides a quick overview of factors that should be considered when designing sanctions.

(4) Sanctions filter

Enables filtering through UN sanctions episodes based on key characteristics of interest.

(5) Quick facts

Presents an interactive map of past and current UN sanctions regimes and basic facts about UN sanctions.

(6) User guide

Presents the basic concepts and logic behind the organization of the App.

The App also includes a Search function.

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A brief history of the App

UN SanctionsApp, previously known as “SanctionsApp,” was developed at the Graduate Institute, Geneva, with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Global Affairs Canada.

Version 1.0 (June 2013) was produced by the TSC's co-directors, Thomas Biersteker and Sue Eckert, and by Marcos Tourinho and Zuzana Hudáková, with assistance from Cecilia Cannon. It was designed and programmed by Colaco SA. Version 6.0 (August 2020) was produced by Thomas Biersteker and Zuzana Hudáková, with assistance from Marcos Tourinho. It was designed and programed by WEBIKON, s.r.o. Neither the Graduate Institute, the Government of Switzerland, the Government of Canada, nor the App technical designers bear any responsibility for content of the App, which is the sole responsibility and intellectual property of the content developers.

UN SanctionsApp is updated on a regular basis. The assessments of effectiveness in Version 6.0 date from August 2020.

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Copyright

© 2013-2021 by Thomas Biersteker, Zuzana Hudáková, and Marcos Tourinho.

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Cite us

Biersteker, Thomas, Zuzana Hudakova, and Marcos Tourinho, UN SanctionsApp: An Interactive Database of UN Sanctions, August 2020, available at https://unsanctionsapp.com.

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Contact us

For comments or questions, please contact unsanctionsapp@gmail.com.