The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution that will protect humanitarian assistance from unintended negative impacts across all UN sanctions regimes. Fourteen council members voted Friday in favor of UNSC Resolution 2664 and only one, India, abstained on the text initiated by the United States and Ireland.
Humanitarian organizations, who have been calling for this kind of exemption for over a decade, say asset freezes in sanctions regimes can affect their ability to access funds and work with banks to carry out their operations. The resolution seeks to exempt “the provision, processing or payment of funds, other financial assets,” or the provision of goods and services “necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance” from UN sanctions.
The UN Security Council Resolution 2664 also includes the sanctions regime relating to al-Qaida and the self-proclaimed Islamic State for an initial two years, after which it will be reviewed, and the council will decide whether to continue to include it. The resolution only applies to UNSC-imposed sanctions, not unilateral ones imposed by individual states on another state, individuals or entities.
By providing exceptions for humanitarian activities across UN sanctions regimes, the resolution offers much-needed clarity to the international community, humanitarian assistance providers, and critical commercial service providers, which will help facilitate the delivery of aid and goods that are critical to saving lives around the world.
The move was welcomed as historic step by aid agencies and international humanitarian organizations, among them the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The IFRC said in a statement Friday “the landmark resolution” will protect humanitarian action in countries where UN sanctions apply and will facilitate the timely delivery of life-saving and timely support to people living in the most fragile and vulnerable environments.
“This landmark resolution is critical in that it helps to reduce the needs of millions of people impacted by the multiple ongoing crises around the world. It will facilitate the work of the IFRC and its network of 192-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to deliver timely humanitarian assistance to communities who need it the most,” said Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC in the statement.
Further information
Full text: United Nations Security Council, Resolution 2664 (2022), adopted December 9, 2022
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=S%2FRES%2F2664(2022)&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False
Full text: IFRC welcomes landmark U.N. Security Council resolution as a critical step towards scaling up humanitarian action in crisis-hit countries, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) press release, published December 9, 2022
https://www.ifrc.org/press-release/ifrc-welcomes-landmark-security-council-resolution-critical-step-towards-scaling-0