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Sanctions, Business and Human Rights
A collective volume edited by the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures, Professor Alena F. Douhan, and published by Clarity Press in 2025 — addressing the legality, enforcement and humanitarian consequences of unilateral sanctions, their impact on business activity and access to remedies, and the widespread phenomenon of corporate over-compliance.
Full volume can be accessed via OHCHR: tools and resources page · PDF
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. An international conference on sanctions, business and human rights took place in Geneva on 21–22 November 2024 to encourage discussion of the Guiding Principles and the Commentary 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 of those 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 emphasising 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.
