UCMs UNCOVERED – Global Student Video Challenge on the Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions (UN/ Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights)
Thank you and congratulations to all for participating in this video contest!
The videos are excellent and it was difficult for the selection committee to choose the best one.
For this reason, the following was decided:
- award 16 laureates instead of 10
- the winner and those in second and third positions will be invited to the Conference in Geneva.
Results
1st place: Josué Castillo Mujica - Universidad Metropolitana, Venezuela. Topic: UCMs in Venezuela
2nd place: Kseniya Shmakava and Olga Tainic - Belarusian State University, Faculty of International Relations, Belarus. Topic: Impact of UCM on health
3rd place:
- Bruna Souza and Andrea Dias - Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Portugal. Topic: Impact of UCM on Children
See here. - Cai Jiajia, Cao Wenya and He Yilin- Southwest University of Political Science and Law, China. Topic: How UCMs curb the digital future
See here. - Mohammad Mahdi Shabani Shadiani and Milad Ghader - Imam Sadiq University, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Law, Iran. Topic: UCMs in Iran
See here.
Other Laurates
- Anastasia Baeva - Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; Faculty of Law, Russia. Topic: education. See here.
- Hosein Kiyani Bajestan - Tehran University, Faculty of Global Studies, Iran. Topic: research and science. See here.
- Moiseenko Alexandra Olegovna, Romadanovskaya Anastasia Andreevna, and Bannikov Dmitry Pavlovich - Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies, Russia. Topic: UCMs and conflict. See here.
- Karina Stanislavovna Kan, Galina Pavlovna Karablina and Vera Sergeevna Kartasheva - The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Faculty of National Security Law, International Law specialization, Russia. Topic: health. See here.
- Wenqing Yang - Renmin University of China, Law school, Master of Laws, China. Topic: health. See here.
- Zahra Ali Asgharpour - Islamic Azad University, Babol Branch, Law Faculty, Iran. Topic: health. See here.
- Amirhossein Abbasian - Islamic Azad University, Babol Branch, Law Faculty, Iran. Topic: health. See here.
- Yachen Li - Southeast University, Law School, China. Topic: health. See here.
- Gao Yajie, Zhang Chongchi, and Wang Yuhua - Southwest University of Political Science and Law, China. Topic: Cuba.See here.
- Petrova Antonina - St.Petersburg State University,Russia.Topic: youth and families. See here.
- Ao Yuyang - National Security Academy Guo Bangyi - School of Journalism and Communication (School of Convergence Media) Song Ying, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, China. Topic: food. See here.
Background and Rationale
Under the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) on the enjoyment of human rights, a comprehensive Monitoring and Impact Assessment Tool has been developed to document and assess the humanitarian consequences of sanctions. The Tool is part of the broader activities of the Mandate aimed at strengthening accountability and visibility in addressing the human rights impacts of UCMs.
The Special Rapporteur is now launching a global video competition for university students as a part of the broader outreach strategy to raise awareness of the work of the Mandate and engage youth in human rights advocacy. The competition seeks to give young people an active voice in international dialogue, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (especially Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and the UN Youth Strategy: Youth 2030, which emphasizes the role of youth in fostering rule of law, inclusive societies, and peacebuilding.
This initiative reflects key priorities articulated by the UN Secretary-General on the role of youth as agents of change and partners in advancing multilateralism and human rights. It also provides a cost-effective alternative to hiring external video consultants by engaging the next generation of professionals in creative, high-impact content development.
Objectives
- Raise awareness about the humanitarian impact of unilateral sanctions, means of their enforcement and over-compliance
- Promote the work and visibility of the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur
- Engage students and young professionals in the global human rights discourse
- Produce animated or live-action videos on selected themes aligned with the Monitoring Tool and broader Mandate activities
- Highlight youth voices and perspectives on sanctions, justice, and human dignity
- Provide a meaningful platform for creative digital storytelling in support of international advocacy
Format and Scope
The competition is open to all university students (bachelor, master) with any specialty and specialization worldwide.
Video shall focus on one of the following topics:
- What are unilateral соеrcive measures?
- The role of over-compliance in humanitarian impact of unilateral coercive measures
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on the right to health
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on the right to food
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on education
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on my country
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on housing
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on children
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on youth
- Impact of unilateral coercive measures and over-compliance on future and development
Students may work individually or in teams of up to 3 members to create a 2-4 minute video (animation or live-action) in English (multilingual versions or subtitles are encouraged but not required).
Videos must follow the selected theme and be based on reliable data or official documentation; however, students are free to choose their visual style, tone, and storytelling method.
Themes and participation guidelines shall conform the Competition rules.
Submission instructions
Instructions on how to submit the video for the competition are available here.
Timeline
- Launch: 1 October 2025
- Submission deadline: 30 November 2025
- Evaluation: December 2025
- Winners announced: January 2026
Jury and Evaluation
Jury will include members of the Mandate team and OHCHR staff.
1 winner will be selected per theme (total 10 winners). An additional 'jury’s choice' award may be granted for creativity or innovation.
Evaluation criteria: relevance to theme, clarity of message, creativity, technical quality, and human rights impact.
Recognition and Use of Materials
Winners will receive a Certificate of Participation signed by the UN Special Rapporteur, their names will be published on this page.
The List of all participants will be published on this page.
Each winning team will receive two Mandate publications signed by the Special Rapporteur.
Selected videos may be used in official OHCHR and Mandate platforms, international events, awareness campaigns, and public exhibitions.
Video submissions may also be used as part of future content challenges and creative visual campaigns supporting the Mandate’s work.
Author of the best video will be invited to participate in the Conference “HUMANITARIAN ACTION, EFFECTIVE REMEDY AND RESPONCIBILITY IN UNILATERAL SANCTIONS ENVIRONMENT” in April 2026.
Administrative Considerations
No monetary award will be provided.
The Mandate will cover shipping costs for the delivery of Mandate publications and certificates to the winning teams.
The Mandate will cover costs of participation of 1 person from the winning team in the Conference “HUMANITARIAN ACTION, EFFECTIVE REMEDY AND RESPONCIBILITY IN UNILATERAL SANCTIONS ENVIRONMENT” in April 2026.
OHCHR and the Mandate retain non-exclusive rights to use, share, and adapt submitted videos for non-commercial, advocacy-related purposes.
Participants must confirm that submitted content is their original work and complies with copyright rules.
Participants shall submit documents confirming their enrolment at the university at the moment of submission.
The Mandate Secretariat will coordinate with OHCHR on all legal and procedural aspects, including the TOR, outreach materials, and data protection compliance.
Contact
Use “UCMs uncovered” in the email subject line.
Link access: UCMs UNCOVERED – Global Student Video Challenge on the Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions.