UN Creates Humanitarian Sanctions Carve-Out
The U.N. Security Council voted last week to establish a humanitarian carve-out across U.N. sanctions regimes, allowing nongovernmental organizations, banks and others an exemption for certain aid-related transactions involving sanctioned jurisdictions. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen applauded the new carve-out, which she said will allow “the flow of legitimate humanitarian assistance supporting the basic human needs of vulnerable populations while continuing to deny resources to malicious actors.”
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Although sanctions are an “essential tool to combat key threats across the globe,” Treasury “recognizes the potential for unintended consequences,” Yellen said. She pointed to the agency’s 2021 sanctions review (see 2110190044), which “strongly recommended implementing or otherwise streamlining humanitarian authorizations across sanctions programs.”
The carve-out sends a “clear message that sanctions will not impede the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance by reputable humanitarian organizations,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Aid organizations for years have urged the U.N., Treasury and other countries to modernize their exemptions and licensing approaches to more easily allow humanitarian groups to send aid to sanctioned jurisdictions (see 2211140060).
The U.N. specified that the carve-out will apply to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime for two years, and will decide whether to extend the exemption before it expires. The Security Council also asked members to “use reasonable efforts to minimize the accrual of any benefits prohibited by sanctions to designated individuals or entities, including by strengthening risk management and due diligence strategies and processes.” No council members voted against the measure, with only India abstaining.