11 countries unite to strengthen sanctions on North Korea

11 countries pledged to fully enforce UN sanctions on North Korea after the first MSMT meeting. The group, formed after Russia’s veto, aims to track violations and enforcement. Nations reaffirmed their commitment to security while keeping the door open for dialogue.

The United States, along with ten other nations, including South Korea, has pledged to fully enforce UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea.

This commitment followed the first meeting of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) Steering Committee, which took place in Washington on Wednesday. During the meeting, representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States reviewed and discussed the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.

The participating states of the MSMT reaffirmed their commitment to upholding international peace and security, protecting the global nonproliferation regime, and addressing the threat posed by North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

Established in October 2024, the MSMT was created in response to Russia’s veto in March that led to the dissolution of the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts. Its mission is to support the enforcement of UN sanctions on North Korea by publishing reports on violations, evasion attempts, and enforcement successes.

The joint statement emphasized that diplomatic dialogue remains an option and urged all nations to contribute to global efforts to uphold peace and security against North Korea’s ongoing threats and sanctions violations.

Russia had previously vetoed a US-led resolution to extend the mandate of the North Korea Sanctions Committee Panel of Experts for another year.

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