About Competent Authority for Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND

The Security Council of the United Nations acting under the Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 1373 on September 28, 2001, which sets out wide ranging strategies to combat terrorism and in particular the fight against the financing of terrorism, which imposes upon Member States a series of obligations aimed at the suppression of terrorism.

The Security Council of the United Nations acting under the Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 1267 on October 15, 1999. UNSCR 1267 (1999), its modifications and the subsequent Resolutions set out wide ranging strategies to combat terrorism and in particular measures to be imposed against the Afghan faction known as the Taliban and impose upon Member States of the United Nations a series of obligations to apply sanction measures to any natural or legal person, group or entity associated with the Al-Qaeda or Taliban as designated by the Sanctions Committee and whose names appear on the ‘Consolidated List’ adopted by the Sanctions Committee.

The Security Council of the United Nations acting under the Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 1718 on October 14, 2006. UNSCR 1718 (2006) and its subsequent resolutions impose a series of economic and commercial sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the DPRK, or North Korea) in the aftermath of that nation's claimed nuclear test of October 9, 2006, and impose upon Member States of the United Nations a series of obligations to apply sanction measures to any natural or legal person, group or entity designated by the Sanctions Committee for being involved in the DPRK’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program.

The Security Council of the United Nations acting under the Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 2231 on July 20, 2015, endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the nuclear program of Iran. UNSCR 2231 (2015) sets out an inspection process and a schedule while also preparing for the removal of United Nations sanctions against Iran. However, UNSCR 2231 (2015) impose upon Member States of the United Nations a series of obligations to apply sanction measures to a list of individuals and entities designated by the United Nations Security Council for being involved in the Iran’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program.

Accordingly, following Regulations pertaining to UNSCR 1373, UNSCR 1267, UNSCR 1718 and UNSCR 2231 were duly gazette by the Sri Lanka respectively, under United Nations Act No: 45 of 1968:

• Extra Ordinary Gazette No. 1758/19 dated May 15, 2012 (referred to as United Nations Regulation No. 1 of 2012)

• Extra Ordinary Gazette No. 1760/40 dated May 31, 2013 (referred to as United Nations Regulation No. 2 of 2012)

• Extra Ordinary Gazette No. 2039/32 dated October 06, 2017 (referred to as United Nations (Sanctions in relation to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations of 2017)

• Extra Ordinary Gazette No. 2080/34 dated July 17, 2018 (referred to as United Nations (Sanctions in relation to Iran) Regulations No. 1 of 2018) as amended by Extra Ordinary Gazette No. 2085/11 dated August 21, 2018.

COMPETENT AUTHORITIES

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence is appointed as the Competent Authority for the implementation of the above Regulations in Sri Lanka.

Responsibilities of the Competent Authorities on the implementation are clearly stipulated in the above Regulations. The main responsibility of the Competent Authority is monitoring compliance and enforcing sanctions pursuant to the Regulations, and engage in wide range of tasks on the implementation of the same.