The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1521 (2003) concerning Liberia was established on 22 December 2003 to oversee the relevant sanctions measures and to undertake the tasks set out by the Security Council in paragraph 21 of the same resolution. The 1521 Committee is the successor body to two previous Security Council Committees that are no longer in existence, namely the Committee established pursuant to resolution 985 (1997) and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1343 (2001).
The sanctions regime and the mandate of the Committee have been modified by subsequent resolutions, most notably Security Council resolutions 1532 (2004) and 1683 (2006). The regime was most recently extended by resolution 1792 of 19 December 2007. The sanctions measures currently in effect are summarized in the table below.
| Measure | Description (unofficial) | In effect until | Exceptions to the measure |
Arms Embargo |
All States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the supply to Liberia of arms and related materiel of all types and also of technical training and assistance. |
19 December 2008 |
Set out in sub-paragraphs 2 (d) – (g) of resolution 1521 (2003); paragraphs 1-4 of resolution 1683 (2006); and sub-paragraph 1 (b) of resolution 1731 (2006). |
Travel ban |
All States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals designated by the Committee for inclusion on its Travel Ban List on the basis of the criteria set out in paragraph 4(a) of resolution 1521 (2003) |
19 December 2008 |
Set out in paragraph 4 (c) of resolution 1521 (2003). Currently valid waivers of the travel restrictions that have been approved by the Committee are shown in this table. |
Assets freeze |
Decides that all States shall freeze without delay funds, other financial assets and economic resources owned or controlled by individuals and entities designated by the Committee for inclusion on the Assets Freeze List on the basis of the criteria set out in paragraph 1 of resolution 1532 (2004) |
The measures remain in effect until the Security Council decides otherwise, however the Council is to review the measures at least once a year, while the Committee is called upon to review the assets freeze list every six months. |
Set out in paragraph 2 of resolution 1532 (2004) |
States implement the travel ban and assets freeze measures in connection with individuals and entities included in the Travel Ban List and Assets Freeze List, which are maintained and regularly updated by the Committee.
Previously, the sanctions regime included prohibitions on the import of all round logs and timber products from Liberia, however the Security Council decided to allow the timber sanctions to expire on 20 June 2006 in light of the Government of Liberia’s commitment to transparent management of the country’s forestry resources (see SC/8856).
The Liberia sanctions regime also previously included prohibitions on the import of rough diamonds from Liberia, however the Security Council decided to terminate the diamond sanctions on 27 April 2007, with the adoption of resolution 1753 (2007).
The current Chairman of the Committee, for the period ending 31 December 2008, is His Excellency Mr. Giadalla Azuz Ettalhi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya). The two Vice-Chairs for 2008 are Indonesia and South Africa. The Committee publishes annual reports of its activities. The Committee has guidelines for the conduct of its work, including on the listing and de-listing procedures. The latest news on the Committee’s work can be found here. For other selected documents see menu.
The Committee is also supported by a Panel of Experts on Liberia whose reports can be found here.