March 2013

United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution endorsing increased cooperation with INTERPOL, August 2006

Cooperation between
INTERPOL and the

UNITED NATIONS
Security Council

STRONG PARTNERSHIP
Transnational crime cannot be tackled in isolation; police,
national administrations and international organizations
must all work together to combat the common threat posed
by criminals who knows no borders. INTERPOL has forged
strong partnerships with organizations in the public and
private sectors to share skills and knowledge and develop
joint initiatives. INTERPOL and the United Nations have
a long-standing relationship, and the two organizations
have collaborated on many projects and initiatives to fight
international crime.

CONNECTING POLICE FOR A SAFER WORLD

Cooperation between

INTERPOL and the UNITED NATIONS Security Council

THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ
of the UN tasked with maintaining international peace
and security. It is composed of five permanent members
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the
United States and 10 non-permanent members elected
for two-year terms.
When conflicts arise, the Security Council seeks to assist
member states in reaching negotiated solutions. If diplomatic
efforts fail and international peace is threatened, the
Security Council can authorize a range of measures under
Chapter VII of the UN Charter. It can, for example, issue
ceasefire directives, send a UN peacekeeping force, introduce
economic or other sanctions, or approve military intervention.
THE UNSC SANCTIONS COMMITTEES
Under the UN Charter, the Security Council can take
enforcement measures to maintain or restore international
peace and security, including sanctions. The use of sanctions
is intended to apply pressure on an individual or entity to
change its behaviour, to resolve or avoid conflict without
resorting to the use of force. The range of possible sanctions
includes economic and trade sanctions, arms embargoes,
travel bans, and financial or diplomatic restrictions.
Sanctions are binding on all UN member states, who have
the primary responsibility for implementing them. Sanctions
are preventive in nature and do not imply nor involve any
criminal charges against the named individual or entity.
The three most common types of sanctions are:

Assets freeze freezing the funds and other

financial assets of sanctioned individuals and
entities;

Travel ban preventing a sanctioned individual

from entering or transiting through a country/
territory;

Arms embargo preventing the direct or indirect

supply, sale or transfer of arms and related material
to sanctioned individuals and entities.

When the Security Council imposes a set of sanctions, a

Sanctions Committee is formed to oversee and implement
them. Each Sanctions Committee consists of the Security

Council members and is tasked with establishing a list of

individuals and entities subject to those sanctions, and
ensuring that countries enforce them.
SANCTIONS LISTS
Each Sanctions Committee maintains a list of individuals
and entities that are subject to that particular sanctions
regime. UN member states submit names and supporting
information for individuals or groups they believe should
be included, and the Sanctions Committee reviews the
information to determine if it meets the established criteria.
If the Sanctions Committee agrees, the individual or entity
is then placed on the list, and all UN member states are
required to enforce the sanctions against them. The lists
are available on the UNs website.
SANCTIONS COMMITTEES SUPPORTED BY INTERPOL
INTERPOL works closely with the Security Council and
its Sanctions Committees, namely through issuing the
INTERPOL-UNSC Special Notices and sharing information.
There are around a dozen Sanctions Committees currently
in place, overseeing sanctions against individuals and
entities involved in past or ongoing conflicts around the
globe. INTERPOL issues Special Notices for those related
to the following sanctions regimes:

Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions

1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) this committee
oversees sanctions concerning Al-Qaida;

Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution

1988 (2011) this committee oversees sanctions
concerning the Taliban.

Sanctions against these groups were first approved by the

Security Council in 1999. At that time, there was only one
Sanctions Committee overseeing both sets of sanctions,
known as the Security Council Committee pursuant to
resolution 1267 (1999). In 2011, the Security Council
split the sanctions regime into the two distinct sanctions
committees.
INTERPOL also collaborates with the Sanctions Committees
concerning Liberia, Cte dIvoire, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Eritrea/Somalia and Sudan.

Cooperation between

INTERPOL and the UNITED NATIONS Security Council

THE INTERPOL-UNSC SPECIAL NOTICE

INTERPOL has a strong partnership with the Security Council,
and supports the work of the Sanctions Committees. This is
primarily done by issuing INTERPOL-United Nations Security
Council Special Notices, part of INTERPOLs system of alerts
to law enforcement.
The Special Notice has three main functions:

Alert law enforcement worldwide that a given

individual or entity is subject to UN sanctions;

Provide direction on actions countries should

take to implement the sanctions in accordance
with their national laws;

Enhance the information available concerning

sanctioned individuals and entities, and the
quality of the UN sanctions lists.

The notice was created in 2005, following resolutions

adopted by INTERPOL and the UN to increase cooperation
in the fight against terrorism. Special Notices are circulated
to its 190 member countries via I-24/7, INTERPOLs global
communications system. By alerting to individuals and
entities subject to UN sanctions, the notice encourages
national law enforcement agencies to take the necessary
actions to enforce the sanctions.
A Special Notice does not seek an individuals arrest.
Instead, it seeks the application of the particular sanctions.
For example, a Special Notice for an individual subject to
a travel ban aims to prevent that person from traveling.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON SPECIAL NOTICES AND SANCTIONS

United Nations Security
Council website
www.un.org/sc

INTERPOL public website

www.interpol.int

INTERPOL restricted
website
https://secure.interpol.int

I-24/7
http://i247.ip

Authorized users /
connection

Public / Internet

Public / Internet

Law enforcement; access

granted by NCB /
Internet;
user name and password

NCBs or authorized
national agencies /
I-24/7 or VPN;
user name and password

General information on
UNSC sanctions and
Special Notices

UNSC mandate, resolutions,

Sanctions Committees,
press releases, listing and
delisting procedures/forms

Legal framework of the

cooperation between INTERPOL
and the UN, purpose of the Special
Notice, link to UNSC website

Legal framework of the

cooperation between
INTERPOL and the UN,
purpose of the Special Notice

None

Operational information
on individuals and
entities subject to
sanctions

Listing YES
Lists of individuals and
entities subject to UN
sanctions, narrative
summaries, relevant press
releases

Listing YES
Public extracts of
all Special Notices,
extracts of some INTERPOL
Red and Yellow Notices

Listing YES
Original published notices and
addenda, including Special
Notices; link to UNSC website;
notice application, addenda
and cancellation forms

Listing NO
Access to INTERPOL
databases and information,
possibility to see all files
and notices related to an
individual

Specific details about

individuals and entities

Complete UNSC
information as part of
the listing and narrative
summaries

Partial information as
part of public extracts of
Special Notices, Red,
Yellow and Orange Notices

Complete information as
found in published notices
and addenda

Complete information
as found in INTERPOL
databases, including all
notices and information
related to an individual

Search possibilities

Text search within the

relevant documents

Multi-criteria search on
public extracts of Special
Notices

Multi-criteria search of all

types of notices, including
Special Notices

E-ASF: complete search by

all names (aliases), identity
documents (stolen, lost or
associated with notices)

Information regarding the Special Notices and UN sanctions can be found on all of INTERPOLs websites, as well as the UN Security
Council site. Mostly general information is available on the public access sites; more detailed material can be accessed on the sites
that are restricted to authorized law enforcement users only.

Cooperation between

INTERPOL and the UNITED NATIONS Security Council

REQUESTING A NOTICE
Only a UN Sanctions Committee can request that INTERPOL
publish a Special Notice. A request cannot come directly
from a member country or other entity.
When a Sanctions Committee wishes to have a Special
Notice published for a person or entity, it makes a formal
request to the INTERPOL General Secretariat. INTERPOL
reviews the information and only publishes it if it meets
all the Organizations legal requirements. For example, it
must not violate INTERPOLs Constitution, which forbids it
from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political,
military, religious or racial character.
There are presently some 350 valid Special Notices in
circulation. Extracts of the notices appear on INTERPOLs
public website.
Some Special Notice extracts on the website relate to
individuals who are confirmed or believed to be dead.Such
extracts remain online in order to give continuing effect to
sanctions imposed by the UN, for example with respect to
the freezing of assets.

ABOUT INTERPOL
Connecting police, securing the world
INTERPOLs mission is to enable police around the world
to work together to make the world a safer place. Our
high-tech infrastructure connects police in all our member
countries, offering instant access to criminal databases and
allowing police to share critical crime-related information.
Each member country has a National Central Bureau that
links police on the ground to each other and to INTERPOLs
General Secretarial in Lyon, France. Police access INTERPOLs
tools, databases and services via the NCB and can instantly
share information with all member countries.
We provide targeted training, expert investigative support,
relevant data and secure communications channels. Our
technical and operational support helps meet the growing
challenges of fighting 21st century crime.

CONTACT :
INTERPOL
Office of the Special Representative of INTERPOL to the
United Nations
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 917 367 3463
Fax: +1 917 367 3476
www.interpol.int
For more information on the United Nations Security Council and
its Sanctions Committees, visit:
www.un.org/sc/committees/.