Justice & Peacemaking : Sanctions on armed groups

What issues are involved in Sanctions on Armed Groups?

As the HD Centre's justice work has become increasingly focused on needs and issues identified by its own mediators and those of its network, it has also undertaken short-term research on specific topics of particular interest. The project Sanctions on Armed Groups addresses the way in which counter-terrorism legislation and measures such as terrorist lists affect mediation and peace processes, notably by putting restrictions on meetings or measures that can be construed as ‘material support' under certain mechanisms.

What activities is the HD Centre undertaking to address this issue?

Research on the mechanisms employed by the UN, European Union, United States and United Kingdom to designate and target certain groups and individuals for sanctions in this way were analysed in a report, Terrorist" lists - A brief overview of lists and their sanctions in the US, UN, and Europe, in June 2006. Developing this work further, an article regarding the impact of terrorist lists on humanitarian work more broadly, was produced for the Overseas Development Institute's Humanitarian Exchange magazine in March 2007. This piece examined the fears of humanitarian actors with regard to counter-terrorism measures, and in response, attempted to clarify certain aspects of those measures. It also pointed to potential issues that arise for donor countries with regard to their own counter-terrorism legislation and their humanitarian obligations.