Humanitarian organizations have received an exemption from sanctions-UN
2022.12.09 13:16
Humanitarian organizations have received an exemption from sanctions-UN
Budrigannews.com – Responding to aid groups’ concerns about the impact of excessive compliance with such measures on their work, the United Nations Security Council granted humanitarian efforts a blanket exemption from U.N. sanctions on Friday.
With 14 votes in favor and one abstention from India, the measure, which was proposed by the United States and Ireland, was approved.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated to the Security Council, “We must all do everything in our power to help humanitarian partners reach the world’s most vulnerable, regardless of where they live, who they live with, and who controls their territory.”
She stated, “To be clear, this is not associated with the merits of the sanctions themselves.” Our objective is always to stop terrorists and people who violate human rights by using a legitimate tool to maintain peace and security while still allowing those in need to continue lifesaving humanitarian efforts.”
Last week, the United Nations said that it thinks that 65 million more people will need help in 68 countries next year, making the total 339 million. It requested aid in the amount of $51.5 billion for 2023.
Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said of the sanctions exemption, “This new protection for aid activities will, for some, be the difference between life and death.” He added that it “will make a real difference for millions of people by enabling humanitarians” to be more efficient and effective.
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The Security Council has traditionally dealt with individual cases of humanitarian organizations being impacted by U.N. sanctions. In general, the U.N. asset freezes would not be violated by support for humanitarian efforts, as stated in the Friday resolution.
It is applicable to U.N. bodies, international organizations, humanitarian organizations that have observer status with the U.N. General Assembly, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and aid organizations that collaborate with the United Nations.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric stated, “We encourage states to put this humanitarian carve-out into practice, including through national laws and regulations.”
