Treaties for which NZ is DepositaryTrade law and free trade agreementsTreaty making processLaw of the Sea and FisheriesInternational Humanitarian LawInternational Courts and TribunalsPrivate International LawDiplomatic Privileges and ImmunitiesUnited Nations Security Council SanctionsAssets freeze measuresDoing business with IranInternational Law Events
On 23 December 2010 the United Nations (Iran) Sanctions Amendment Regulations 2010 entered into force. The Amendment Regulations implement an important element of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 (UNSCR 1929): a requirement for New Zealanders to exercise vigilance when doing business with Iran.
The United Nations (Iran) Sanctions Regulations 2010, implementing all other elements of UNSCR 1929, entered into force on 2 September 2010. The United Nations Sanctions (Iran) Regulations 2010 supersede the 2007 regulations. They retain the operative provisions of the 2007 regulations, and implement the new obligations imposed by UNSCR 1929.
Article 41 of the United Nations Charter authorises the Security Council to take enforcement measures not involving the use of force in order to give effect to its decisions. These measures often take the form of sanctions. The range of sanctions imposed by the Security Council has included comprehensive economic and trade sanctions as well as more targeted measures such as arms embargoes, travel bans, and financial or diplomatic restrictions. Increasingly, sanctions have been targeted directly to individuals or specific political actors rather than to States as a whole.
Under article 25 of the Charter members of the United Nations have agreed to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council, and accordingly Security Council sanctions are binding on all UN member States, including New Zealand. Each Security Council sanctions regime is overseen by a Sanctions Committee, which is responsible for monitoring implementation and compliance.
Security Council sanctions are implemented in New Zealand law by regulations made under the United Nations Act 1946. This enables the Government to act promptly to impose or remove sanctions once such a decision has been taken by the Security Council.
All persons and entities in New Zealand, and in many cases New Zealand citizens and companies overseas as well, must comply with regulations implementing Security Council sanctions. It is accordingly important to seek independent legal advice before engaging in any activities that may be affected by a sanction regime.
Currently the United Nations Security Council imposes sanctions measures on, or relating to, the following States or entities [all are external links to United Nations Security Council]:
Those measures are implemented by the following regulations, promulgated under the United Nations Act 1946 [all are external links to www.legislation.govt.nz]:
If you have a sanctions related enquiry, please contact:
Sanctions Officer
Legal Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ph: +64 4 439 7925
Fax: +64 4 439 8169
E-mail: sanctions@mfat.govt.nz
