Focal Point for De-listing

The Focal Point for De-listing, established pursuant to resolution 1730 (2006) Document PDF (hereafter “the Focal Point”) receives de-listing requests and performs the tasks described in the annex to that resolution, as well as the tasks described in paragraph 22 of resolution 2255 (2015) and paragraphs 86 and 87 of resolution 2610 (2021) Document PDF .

Work and Mandate of the Focal Point

As part of its commitment to ensure that fair and clear procedures exist for placing individuals and entities on sanctions lists and for removing them, as well as for granting humanitarian exemptions, the Security Council, on 19 December 2006, adopted resolution 1730 (2006) by which the Council requested the Secretary-General to establish within the Secretariat (Security Council Subsidiary Organs Branch), a focal point to receive de-listing requests and perform the tasks described in the annex to that resolution.

Petitioners, other than those whose names are inscribed on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, can therefore submit de-listing requests either through the focal point process outlined in resolution 1730 (2006) or through their State of residence or citizenship.

Petitioners whose names are inscribed on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List can submit their de-listing requests through the Office of the Ombudsperson.

On 17 December 2012, the Security Council adopted resolution 2083 (2012) by which it authorized the Focal Point to receive travel ban and assets freeze exemption requests in relation to individuals, groups, undertakings or entities on the (then) Al-Qaida Sanctions List. On 17 June 2014, the Council adopted resolution 2161 (2014), further authorizing the Focal Point to receive communications from individuals removed from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List and those claiming to have been subjected to the sanctions measures mistakenly. On 17 December 2015, the Council adopted resolution 2253 (2015), reaffirming the aforementioned provisions and having decided that the Al-Qaida Sanctions List would henceforth be known as the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. On 21 December 2015, the Council adopted resolution 2255 (2015), also authorizing the Focal Point to receive travel ban and assets freeze exemption requests in relation to the 1988 Sanctions List. On 17 December 2021, the Council adopted resolution 2610 (2021) reaffirming the mandate of the Focal Point mechanism to receive travel bans and assets freeze exemption requests, as well as communications from individuals who have been removed from the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Lists and from individuals claiming to have been subjected to sanctions as a result of false or mistaken identification or confusion with individuals included on this Sanctions List.

The Focal Point’s mandate includes the following :

  • Receive de-listing requests from a petitioner
  • Verify if the request is new or repeated; if the latter, and with no additional information, return the request to the petitioner
  • Acknowledge receipt of the request to the petitioner and inform the petitioner on the general procedure for processing that request
  • Forward the request to the reviewing governments
  • Put reviewing governments into contact with each other, as appropriate
  • Forward to the relevant Committee a reviewing government’s recommendation, if any, to de-list and the accompanying explanation
  • Inform the relevant Committee should a reviewing government oppose de-listing
  • Inform all members of the relevant Committee should any reviewing government not comment either way within three months
  • Convey to the relevant Committee all communications from Member States
  • Inform the petitioner of the outcome of the de-listing procedure
  • Receive and forward to the 1267/1989/2253 Committee, or the 1988 Committee, requests from listed individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities on those Committees' Lists, for exemptions to the assets freeze and travel ban measures
  • Transmit to the individuals, groups, undertaking or entities the 1267/1989/2253 Committee’s, or the 1988 Committee's, decision on the exemption request
  • Receive and transmit to the 1267/1989/2253 Committee communications from individuals who: have been removed from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List; claim to have been subjected to the sanctions measures as a result of false or mistaken identification or confusion with individuals listed on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List
  • Convey the response, as may be appropriate, of the 1267/1989/2253 Committee to the aforementioned individuals