UN Expert Warns Sanctions Are Deepening Human Suffering Worldwide

Zaina Jallad, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, presented her findings to the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

A United Nations expert has raised serious concern over the growing use of unilateral sanctions, warning that measures imposed during political disputes are harming ordinary people who have little or no influence over the decisions made by governments.

Zaina Jallad, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, presented her findings to the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. Her report examines sanctions imposed outside the framework of the UN Security Council and the obligations established under international law, focusing on the human cost experienced by families, patients, people with disabilities and communities already living in vulnerable conditions.

Political pressure reaches families and essential services

Sanctions are often presented as tools designed to influence governments without using military force, yet their effects can spread through entire economies and disrupt daily life far beyond their stated political targets. Restrictions on trade, banking, investment and international payments can make it harder for countries to import food, medicines, medical equipment, fuel and other essential goods.

Jallad said these measures can weaken economic growth, increase national debt and damage living conditions for populations that played no meaningful role in the disputes behind the sanctions. People living with chronic illnesses or disabilities may face some of the greatest risks when medicines, specialist equipment and healthcare services become more difficult or expensive to obtain.

The humanitarian damage can become even more severe when banks, businesses and aid organisations avoid permitted transactions because they fear financial penalties or legal consequences. These de-risking practices and excessive compliance can interrupt humanitarian support, delay payments and block legitimate trade even when exemptions exist.

Cuba reflects the lasting human cost of sanctions

Cuba is presented in the report as a major example of how prolonged sanctions can shape the lives of several generations. According to the Special Rapporteur, US measures affecting the country have created obstacles to food, healthcare, education, international cooperation, humanitarian assistance and the maintenance of essential infrastructure and public services.

Families experience these pressures through medicine shortages, rising costs, limited employment opportunities and weakened public systems. The burden does not remain confined to government institutions or political leaders, since it reaches households that have little control over the international disagreements shaping their lives.

Jallad warned that affected populations can become trapped in conditions where fundamental rights are increasingly difficult to protect. The consequences may be measured not only through economic indicators, but also through delayed treatment, reduced educational opportunities, lost development progress and futures narrowed by years of hardship.

Report calls for prevention, remedy and recovery

The report introduces a framework connecting universal human rights with the everyday experiences of people living under unilateral coercive measures. It examines how harm is produced, and highlights responsibilities related to prevention, remedy, restitution and recovery, building on the human rights-based work carried out during the mandate's first 11 years.

Concerns extend beyond countries such as Cuba and Iran. Recent unilateral sanctions have also targeted judges, prosecutors and officials of the International Criminal Court, along with human rights defenders, organisations and a fellow UN Special Rapporteur. Jallad said such actions can intimidate institutions and individuals, discourage cooperation and weaken respect for international law.

The expert plans to examine the wider human rights consequences of these measures, including their effect on the collective right to self-determination. Her warning places the experiences of ordinary people at the centre of the debate, arguing that the true cost of sanctions can be found in lives lost, development reversed and opportunities taken away from communities already facing difficult circumstances.