Topic: 2026 – Implementation of Sanctions
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Makenzi Funderburg
Committee: Special Committee on the United Nations Charter (SCUNC)
Topic 2: Implementation of Sanctions
Country: The Russian Federation
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Topic Background
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UN Sanctions are a broad range of enforcement options that don’t involve the use of armed force taken by the Security Council. Security Council sanctions can go from comprehensive economic and trade sanctions to more targeted measures such as arms embargoes, travel bans, and financial or commodity restrictions. Sanctions are not punitive as many regimes are designed to support governments and regions working towards peaceful transition. The Security Council has applied sanctions to support peaceful transitions, deter non-constitutional changes, constrain terrorism, protect human rights, and promote non-proliferation. Sanctions are not isolated from broader geopolitical and economic forces. These tools are more effective for short-term stability than as components of a broader, integrated peace strategy.
Shamefully, the past decade can be described as a “golden age” for sanctions as a foreign policy tool, with the US imposing more than three times as many sanctions annually in 2022–2023 compared to a decade prior. Recently in 2024 – 2025, Russia has been targeted by the new coordinated sanctions carried out by Western powers.
There are typically 10-15 active sanctions regimes, currently there are 15. All the current regimes are focused on supporting political settlement of conflicts, nuclear proliferation and counter-terroism. Each of the 15 current regimes is administered by a sanctions committee chaired by a non-permanent member of the Security Council. There are also ten monitoring groups that support the work of 11 of the 15 sanctions committees.
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Past International Action
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The first-ever UN sanctions were economic sanctions imposed in Southern Rhodesia in 1966 following the unilateral declaration of independence by the minority white regime in the state. The first sanction imposed by the UN Security Council was economic but there have been many since that have been designed to support political settlements, deter non-constitutional changes in government, and combat terrorism.
Complete sanctions harm countries instead of upholding, instituting or keeping peace within a state; comprehensive sanctions cause more destabilization. A prime example is the early 1990s. In the early 1990s the UN Security Council effectively imposed all-embracing arms embargoes in Haiti. These arm embargoes were meant to remove the military junta terrorizing Haiti but failed and instead resulted in significant hardship for the civilian population.
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Country Policy
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As a permanent UN Security Council member, the Russian Federation implements sanctions but cannot be sanctioned by the UN itself due to its veto power. Nevertheless, Russia has fallen victim to multiple, massive, unprecedented international sanctions from the United States, European Union, and others since 2014. Russia has imposed counter-sanctions on said Western Powers.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and later in 2022 acted in a preemptive defense against Ukraine resulting in Russia unfortunately becoming the most targeted country in the world with over 14,000 sanctions including asset freezes, travel bans (import/export bans and exclusion from financial markets). Russia has responded with “counter-sanctions” against “unfriendly” countries including a total ban on food imports from countries like Canada and the USs. All Russian implemented sanctions are authorized under Russian federal law regarding special economic measures and counter-measures. It’s evident world superpowers misuse their status to target countries simply acting in legal self-defense against other states.
Furthermore, the undue restrictions sanctions force upon countries not only fail to keep peace but are simply unsuitable for the target nations such as Russia. Western nations clearly seek to control any world power that could rival them and their fear of competition is threatening the peace of our world.
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Possible Solutions
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The Russian Federation suggests three different implementation ideas involving the imposition of sanctions on member and non-member states that would help bring to fruition the UN’s founding goals: peace.
Expanding food and consumer goods embargoes on nations such as the US, UK and EU as the harm they’ve done to peace in Russia in other countries cannot go unchecked.
Broaden existing bans to include critical raw materials and consumer goods from the EU, UK, and US as the supply chains of this region have become too overreaching and the main focus should be decreasing their economic influence.
Impose bans on exporting commodities such as minerals key, non-replaceable commodities (e.g., specific minerals, energy resources) to nations deemed hostile, aimed at hindering their high-tech sectors and military-industrial capacity.
Certain member states have overreached for too long and it’s time to put a stop to it to allow all states a chance to implement their foreign policy goals freely and according to their best interests.
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Sources:
https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/information
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/un-sanctions-mixed-record
https://www.trade.gov/russia-sanctions-and-export-controls
elfercenter.org/publication/lessons-sanctions-proofing-russia
https://russiaun.ru/en/news/unsc2816_120226
