Overview

The United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List contains all individuals, entities, and vessels subject to sanctions measures imposed by the UN Security Council. Unlike national sanctions programs (such as OFAC or EU Sanctions), UN sanctions are binding on all 193 UN member states under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, making this list the most universally applicable sanctions regime in existence.

The list consolidates designations from all active UN sanctions committees, including those targeting terrorism (ISIL/Al-Qaeda), nuclear proliferation (DPRK, Iran), and regional conflicts (Libya, South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mali, DRC). Each entry includes the designated individual or entity name, aliases, identifying information (dates of birth, passport numbers, national IDs), and a narrative summary explaining the reasons for designation.

For compliance professionals, screening against the UN sanctions list is a fundamental requirement. While OFAC and EU Sanctions include their own extensions beyond UN designations, the UN list represents the baseline that all nations are legally required to enforce. The Prismatic platform integrates all three lists into a unified tri-jurisdiction screening pipeline that ensures comprehensive global sanctions compliance.

Data Coverage

Data Type	Description
Individuals	Name, aliases, date of birth, nationality, passport numbers
Entities	Organization name, aliases, addresses, registration numbers
Sanctions Committees	Designating committee and resolution reference
Narrative Summaries	Reasons for designation and background
Aliases	Known aliases, former names, transliterations
Identifiers	Passport, national ID, tax ID numbers
Addresses	Known addresses and jurisdictions
List Dates	Date of listing, date of last update

UN Sanctions Committees

Committee	Target	Key Resolutions
1267/1989/2253	ISIL and Al-Qaeda	Terrorism asset freeze, travel ban, arms embargo
1718	DPRK (North Korea)	Nuclear/ballistic missile programs
2231	Iran	Nuclear program (JCPOA-related)
1970	Libya	Conflict parties, arms embargo
2206	South Sudan	Conflict parties
2140	Yemen	Houthi leadership, conflict parties
751	Somalia/Eritrea	Al-Shabaab, arms embargo
2127	Central African Republic	Armed groups

Integration with Prismatic

The UN Sanctions List integrates with the Prismatic platform's tri-jurisdiction sanctions screening pipeline, complementing OFAC and EU Sanctions for comprehensive global coverage.

# Search by name
{:ok, results} = UnSanctions.search("Osama", fuzzy_threshold: 0.85)
# => %{
#   matches: [
#     %{reference_number: "QDi.004",
#       name: "USAMA MUHAMMAD AWAD BIN LADEN",
#       type: :individual,
#       committee: "1267/1989/2253",
#       listed_on: ~D[2001-10-08],
#       nationality: "Saudi Arabia",
#       aliases: ["Osama bin Laden", "The Prince", "The Emir"],
#       date_of_birth: ~D[1957-03-10],
#       narrative: "Founder and leader of Al-Qaeda...",
#       identifiers: []}
#   ]
# }

# Search by identifier
{:ok, results} = UnSanctions.search_identifier(type: :passport, value: "AB123456")

# Get full list by committee
{:ok, committee_list} = UnSanctions.get_committee("1718")  # DPRK

# Download consolidated XML
{:ok, full_list} = UnSanctions.download_consolidated(format: :xml)

# Screen entity against all committees
{:ok, screening} = UnSanctions.screen(entity_name: "Target Entity",
  fuzzy_threshold: 0.80,
  committees: :all
)

# Check for recent additions
{:ok, recent} = UnSanctions.recent_changes(since: ~D[2025-01-01])

Tri-Jurisdiction Compliance Pipeline

defmodule PrismaticCompliance.Screening.TriJurisdictionScreener do
  @moduledoc """
  Comprehensive sanctions screening against UN, US (OFAC), and EU
  sanctions lists for maximum compliance coverage.
  """

  def comprehensive_screen(entity) do
    tasks = [
      Task.async(fn -> UnSanctions.search(entity.name, fuzzy_threshold: 0.80) end),
      Task.async(fn -> Ofac.search(entity.name, fuzzy_threshold: 0.80) end),
      Task.async(fn -> EuSanctions.search(entity.name, fuzzy_threshold: 0.80) end)
    ]

    [un, ofac, eu] = Task.await_many(tasks, 20_000)

    all_matches = collect_all_matches(un, ofac, eu)

    {:ok, %{
      entity: entity,
      screening_result: if(Enum.empty?(all_matches), do: :clear, else: :hit),
      un_sanctions: extract_ok(un),
      ofac_sanctions: extract_ok(ofac),
      eu_sanctions: extract_ok(eu),
      jurisdictions_hit: count_jurisdictions(un, ofac, eu),
      total_matches: length(all_matches),
      highest_confidence: highest_confidence(all_matches),
      action_required: determine_action(all_matches),
      screening_id: generate_screening_id(),
      timestamp: DateTime.utc_now()
    }}
  end

  defp determine_action(matches) do
    cond do
      Enum.any?(matches, &(&1.confidence >= 0.95)) -> :block_and_report
      Enum.any?(matches, &(&1.confidence >= 0.80)) -> :manual_review
      Enum.any?(matches, &(&1.confidence >= 0.60)) -> :enhanced_due_diligence
      true -> :clear
    end
  end
end

Rate Limits and Access

Aspect	Details
Authentication	None required (public dataset)
Rate Limit	No strict limit (responsible use expected)
Data Formats	XML (primary), HTML (web search)
Update Frequency	Updated after each committee decision
Cost	Free (UN public data)

Data Access Methods

XML Download: Full consolidated list in structured XML
Web Search: Online search tool at scsanctions.un.org
Notifications: Email notifications for list changes
API: No official REST API; XML parsing required

Use Cases

Global Sanctions Compliance

Baseline sanctions screening required by all 193 UN member states
Complement OFAC and EU Sanctions for full coverage
Mandatory for international financial institutions and trade operations

Counter-Terrorism Screening

Screen individuals and entities against the 1267/1989/2253 terrorism list
Cross-reference with OFAC SDGT for comprehensive terrorism screening
Monitor for new designations and de-listings

Corporate Due Diligence

Screen business partners, suppliers, and customers against the UN list
Cross-reference with Czech registries (ARES, Justice.cz)
Assess country-level sanctions risk for business operations

OFAC - US Treasury sanctions (extends beyond UN designations)
EU Sanctions - European Union sanctions (implements UN + EU-specific)
ARES - Czech business register for entity identification
Justice.cz - Czech Commercial Register for UBO verification
Chainalysis - Cryptocurrency sanctions screening

Fuzzy Name Matching

Sanctions screening requires sophisticated name matching algorithms because designated individuals and entities use aliases, transliterations, and name variations. The Prismatic screening pipeline implements multiple matching strategies:

Algorithm	Description	Use Case
Exact Match	Character-for-character comparison	Primary screening
Levenshtein Distance	Edit distance between strings	Typo tolerance
Jaro-Winkler	Weighted prefix similarity	Name transposition handling
Soundex/Metaphone	Phonetic similarity	Cross-language transliteration
Token Set Ratio	Unordered word matching	Name reordering tolerance
Alias Expansion	Search across all known aliases	Multi-identity matching

The combination of these algorithms with configurable confidence thresholds ensures that legitimate matches are not missed while minimizing false positives that would overwhelm compliance teams.

Screening Decision Framework

Match Confidence	Decision	Action Required
95-100%	Confirmed Match	Block transaction, file SAR
80-94%	Probable Match	Manual review within 24 hours
60-79%	Possible Match	Enhanced due diligence
Below 60%	Unlikely Match	Document and clear

OSINT Core - Core OSINT framework and adapter layer
Prismatic Perimeter - Sanctions in security and compliance ratings

Connect & Contribute

Created by Tomáš Korcak (korczis) | Open Source under GHL

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UN Sanctions List

Capabilities

Try UN Sanctions List

Overview

Data Coverage

UN Sanctions Committees

Integration with Prismatic

Tri-Jurisdiction Compliance Pipeline

Rate Limits and Access

Data Access Methods

Use Cases

Global Sanctions Compliance

Counter-Terrorism Screening

Corporate Due Diligence

Fuzzy Name Matching

Screening Decision Framework

Connect & Contribute

Intelligence Network

Related Content

Agent Ecosystem

Applications

Doctrine

UN Sanctions List

Capabilities

Try UN Sanctions List

Overview

Data Coverage

UN Sanctions Committees

Integration with Prismatic

Tri-Jurisdiction Compliance Pipeline

Rate Limits and Access

Data Access Methods

Use Cases

Global Sanctions Compliance

Counter-Terrorism Screening

Corporate Due Diligence

Related Sources

Fuzzy Name Matching

Screening Decision Framework

Related Platform Components

Connect & Contribute

Intelligence Network

Related Content

Agent Ecosystem

Applications

Doctrine