UN listing infrastructure and accountability workshop

On 27 – 28 April 2022 Gavin Sullivan participated in a high-level retreat on UN sanctions and due process at the Greentree Estate, Rhode Island jointly organised by the Graduate Institute, Geneva and the UN Permanent Missions of Ireland, Norway and Switzerland.

The aim of the workshop was to debate possibilities for reviewing decisions to put individuals on UN Security Council sanctions list, building on the current UN Office of the Ombudsperson. In his presentation, Gavin drew from his experience working with people targeted by security lists and published research on this issue. He spoke about the ongoing challenges faced after delisting and highlighted the enduring problems of trying to defend yourself from vague allegations based on secret intelligence. The workshop featured government representatives from the USA, France, UK, Norway, Austria, Ireland, Malta, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, the European Union and various UN bodies, including the Security Council.