In a joint statement released by 50 member countries of the United Nations on Wednesday (May 1), following the dissolution of the expert panel of the United Nations Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee on April 30, the importance of monitoring the implementation of North Korea sanctions was emphasized. It was decided to discuss a proposal led by the United States, South Korea, and Japan to promptly establish an independent mechanism to replace the functions of the dissolved expert panel.
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, addressed the joint statement in New York on May 1, stating, “The 1718 Committee of the United Nations Security Council’s expert panel has officially dissolved today. Over the past 15 years, this expert panel has provided objective and comprehensive reports and analysis on the implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). We must thank the expert panel for their tireless and significant efforts in supporting the Security Council’s non-proliferation efforts. This work should be able to continue… However, the Russian Federation vetoed a resolution on March 28 to extend the expert panel’s mandate.”
The statement pointed out that Russia’s use of its veto power in this case has prevented UN member countries from obtaining crucial information and guidance to implement Security Council sanctions monitored by the 1718 Committee. The disbandment of the expert panel undermines the work undertaken by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, making it more difficult for UN member countries to enforce binding Security Council resolutions.
The statement emphasized, “These resolutions are in response to the threats posed by North Korea’s illegal ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, which jeopardize international peace and security and pose risks to the global non-proliferation regime. These Security Council sanctions resolutions remain in effect.”
The statement reiterated the Security Council’s consistent demand for North Korea to comply with the provisions of its multiple resolutions, and explicitly stated that with the end of the expert panel’s mandate, “we must now consider how to continue to obtain this objective and independent analysis, similar to that of the expert panel, to address the challenges posed by North Korea’s illicit WMD and ballistic missile programs.”
Regarding the potential establishment of an independent sanctions monitoring mechanism for North Korea by the 50 countries, Thomas-Greenfield mentioned ongoing discussions on various feasible approaches. She emphasized close consultations with Japan and South Korea to propose ideas for consideration by other member countries and expressed a strong commitment to making progress in the coming months.
Thomas-Greenfield visited South Korea and Japan last month to discuss new approaches to sanctioning North Korea and also visited the highly guarded Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea, urging Russia and China to change their practices and stop sheltering Pyongyang from the repercussions of its weapons programs.
For the past 15 years, the United Nations expert panel has monitored the implementation of sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. In March of this year, a vote was held at the Security Council on whether to extend the mandate of the expert panel; 13 out of 15 member countries supported it, but Russia’s veto as a permanent member led to the rejection of the resolution. As a result, the mandate of the expert panel ended on April 30 and the panel was dissolved.