Sanctions, Business and Human Rights (published on September 1, 2025, UN / Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights)
As the United Nations approaches the 80th anniversary of the Charter, the new collective volume Sanctions, Business and Human Rights addresses one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the growing use of unilateral coercive measures, the means of their enforcement, and the widespread phenomenon of over-compliance by private actors.
The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights has developed Guiding Principles on sanctions, Business and human rights and a Commentary thereto. International Conference on sanctions, business and human rights took place in Geneva on 21-22 November 2024 to encourage the discussion of the Guiding principles and the Commentary thereto at the levels of states, UN experts, humanitarian actors, scholars and legal practitioners, and to address the most sensitive issues in the sphere. The present book compiles contributions of participants of the conference and people who contributed actively to the drafting of the Guiding principles.
Prepared under the editorship of the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Professor Alena F. Douhan, together with her team, the book brings together leading experts in international law, human rights, economics, political science, and business practice. It offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary analysis of the legality, enforcement, and humanitarian consequences of unilateral sanctions, as well as their impact on business activity, access to justice, and remedies.
The book has been published by Clarity Press in 2025. By emphasizing states’ obligations under international law and the responsibilities of businesses to respect human rights, it provides practical guidance on how to prevent and mitigate over-compliance, strengthen accountability, and safeguard fundamental rights in the context of sanctions.
The full PDF version of the book