The Security Council should ensure in its thematic discussion on sanctions, as well as in the consideration of individual sanctions regimes, that women, peace and security is a cross-cutting issue. Overall, the Security Council must ensure that any sanctions are in line with human rights and international humanitarian law and will not affect population’s access to humanitarian goods such as medicine and food. As per the outcomes of the High-Level Review of sanctions, the Global Study on 1325 (2000), and reports of the Secretary-General (i.e. S/2017/249, S/2016/361, S/2015/716, S/2015/203, S/2014/181), the Security Council must strengthen its attention to WPS in both thematic and country-specific action on sanctions by:

• Adding violations of women’s rights, including targeting of women human rights defenders, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as designation criteria (SCR 2242 (2015), OP 6; S/2017/249; S/2016/361; S/2015/716; S/2014/181; S/2013/525).
• Including a provision requesting that the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SViC) and other relevant experts, such as UN-Women, brief the sanctions committee, including by sharing information and referring parties to be included in the sanctions list (S/2017/249) and coordinating with associated expert groups (S/2017/249).
• Including a provision requesting information sharing between UN peace operations and associated expert groups with regards to any information on perpetrators of SGBV and their military and political leaders, in line with good practice related to sensitive and ethical data collection.
• Requiring gender and women’s rights analysis in the reporting of all associated expert groups, including on the impacts of sanctions and counterterrorism strategies; women’s participation in armed groups; and the gender dimensions of the flow of arms and illicit trafficking of humans, drugs, and natural resources.
• Requesting that associated expert groups meet with local women’s civil society organizations in the course of their work (SCR 2242 (2015), OP 12).
• Ensuring there is gender expertise in all associated experts groups (SCR 2242 (2015), OP 6).