Ombudsperson Office to ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Celebrates Tenth Anniversary on 17 December

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1904 on 17 December 2009, by which the Office of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da‘esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee was created.

The Ombudsperson conducts an independent and impartial review of requests from individuals and entities seeking to be removed from the United Nations Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.  The ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee is the only Security Council sanctions regime providing an independent review procedure, thereby fulfilling an important role for due process.

Since the Office of the Ombudsperson became operational, the Ombudsperson has accepted 89 petitions for delisting; 75 per cent of the petitions have been granted.  The Ombudsperson is appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General.  Since 18 July 2018, Daniel Kipfer Fasciati has served as Ombudsperson.

Mr. Kipfer Fasciati, emphasizing the importance of his mandate and providing due process in the implementation of counter-terrorism policies, said:  “The Ombudsperson’s position in the world of targeted sanctions is unique.  It fulfils a much-needed role of balancing security and fairness, guaranteeing the rights of individuals and entities.”

The Permanent Mission of Switzerland, on behalf of the Group of Like-Minded States on Targeted Sanctions, has organized a high-level panel discussion on Tuesday, 17 December, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  The topics will include:

• The genesis and achievements of the Office of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee; and
• The future outlook for protecting the legitimacy and effectiveness of United Nations targeted sanctions.

The Office of the Ombudsperson is organizing an event in May 2020 in The Hague, the Netherlands, to discuss the Ombudsperson’s function and mandate.

More information is available via the website of the Office of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee:  https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/ombudsperson.

An overview of pending and completed cases is available here:  https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sc/ombudsperson/status-of-cases.