UN General Assembly
2000

has acquired a global dimension, also requires a universal approach to its solution. The key role of the United Nations is indispensable in consolidating the international efforts to fight this evil. Turning now to the problem of the Security Council-imposed sanctions, I would like to reaffirm the position of my country on this issue. Sanctions were designed as a powerful tool to ensure the implementation of the Council's decisions. However, they were eventually turned into ineffective and sometimes even harmful instruments. It is therefore absolutely necessary to develop a clear and coherent methodology for the imposition and lifting of sanctions that takes into consideration the concerns of innocent civilian populations and the interests of third countries. Ukraine supports the recent Security Council practice of defining time limits of sanctions at the stage of their imposition. We believe that it is of primary importance to develop objective criteria and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of sanctions and their impact — including on the target State. We also support the immediate lifting of sanctions when