The  United Nations Sanctions and Mediation Project (SMP) has published its final report entitled  “UN Sanctions and Mediation: Establishing Evidence to Inform Practice”. Based on an 18-month policy research project conducted by the United Nations University  Centre  for  Policy  Research, the Graduate Institute, Geneva, and swisspeace, this report sets the foundation for a better understanding of the inter-linkages between sanctions and mediation and of the conditions under which they complement each another.

Drawing from eleven case-studies, the report finds that UN sanctions can at the same time complement mediation efforts, as well as compromise them in a number of ways.

The report concludes with twenty recommendations for the UN Security Council, UN sanctions committees, UN Secretariat, and senior UN mediators on promoting complementarity and avoiding complication between UN sanctions and mediation.