The Impact of Economic Sanctions on Health and Well-being

This paper reviews the impact of trade embargoes on health, health services and food security drawing on data available from Cuba, Haiti and Iraq. The argument is made that the impact of trade embargoes encompasses much more than restrictions on the availability of medicine. The last section of the paper critically examines the current practice of measuring health impacts of sanctions, with particular emphasis on the case of Iraq. It identifies persistent weaknesses and suggests steps for improvement in future humanitarian assessments.

Download: