International Conference under the Auspices of the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the EU

On January 27, 2026 an international conference titled "Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs): contemporary threats and challenges" was held in Brussels under the auspices of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the EU and members of the European Parliament. Professor Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, took an active part in the event.

The participants included over 100 heads of diplomatic missions, MEPs, experts, lawyers, businessmen, and representatives of the European Commission and other EU institutions from 25 countries.

During the event, the issues of the illegality of UCMs were discussed, and numerous examples of their negative impact on the rights and legitimate interests of ordinary citizens were provided.

Professor Douhan emphasized that any sanctions can only be applied by a decision of the UN Security Council. All other restrictions are unilateral coercive measures that are unlawful from the perspective of international law.

For reference: The problems of UCMs affect more than 30 countries worldwide, including Belarus, Russia, Iran, China, the DPRK, Myanmar, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Burundi, CAR, the Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and others. The total population of these countries exceeds 2.2 billion people.

The conference served as a call for a broad discussion between states, including at the UN and other international organizations, regarding the necessity of functional humanitarian exemptions, or ideally, the complete elimination of the practice of applying unilateral coercive measures in conditions where the deterioration of citizens' living standards becomes a foreign policy goal of certain countries and hunger is used as an instrument of coercion.

print version