The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued new exemptions Tuesday designed to help humanitarian aid reach populations in sanctioned areas. Photo by Miguel Lopes/EPA-EFE
Dec. 20 (UPI) — The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced new steps for sanctions carveouts that would allow humanitarian assistance to get to vulnerable populations.
The decision follows the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2664, which implemented a carveout from the asset freeze provisions of U.N. sanctions programs.
In accordance with the resolution, the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued amended licenses that would allow aid to reach areas that are currently under sanctions.
“The United States co-led the development of the humanitarian carveout resolution at the United Nations, and we’re proud to be the first country to issue authorizations and guidance to implement it across our sanctions programs,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said.
“The general licenses released today reflect the United States’ commitment to ensuring that humanitarian assistance and related trade continues to reach at-risk populations through legitimate and transparent channels, while maintaining the effective use of targeted sanctions, which remain an essential foreign policy tool.”
The amended guidelines allow for authorization if you are doing business for the U.S. government, an organization like the United Nations or Red Cross, certain NGO’s, and for the provision of medicine.
Kate-Phillips-Barrasso, the Mercy Corps’ vice president for global policy and advocacy, said the new exceptions would make it easier for NGOs like Mercy Corps to provide aid to certain areas.
“This announcement represents a quantum leap forward in resolving the challenges faced by humanitarian organizations assisting people in countries where sanctions are in effect,” she said. “It will help eliminate the confusion of differing licensing across contexts and reduce delays in providing assistance.”
