“One year ago, the UN Security Council came together in an historic and unified move to protect humanitarian action from the crippling impacts of UN sanctions regimes. In adopting the resolution, the Security Council clearly stated that when sanctions are imposed, humanitarian activities must not be hindered, and must be facilitated as required by international humanitarian law.
“In the twelve months since the adoption of the resolution, we have seen unprecedented efforts by the international community to ensure we can carry out our work where needed most. In addition to implementing the resolution in relation to UN sanctions, some States have gone a step further and extended humanitarian exemptions to their own sanctions – as we saw in the aftermath of the earthquake in Syria earlier this year. This is welcome and remarkable progress. Ultimately, the resolution has allowed us to support people in need more efficiently, effectively, and safely.
“As well as providing crucial legal clarity to organisations delivering aid in contexts where UN sanctions apply such as Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, parts of Syria or the Sahel, the resolution also offers much-needed reassurance to private sector actors like banks, on whose services our operations are reliant. In the months following the adoption of the resolution, NRC witnessed a 40 percent reduction in de-risking by banks. This cannot be exclusively attributed to the resolution alone and we are conscious that such progress cannot be taken for granted but it is nevertheless encouraging.
“Without explicit safeguards such as this resolution, the aid sector faces over compliance and de-risking by the private sector and some donors; and legitimate humanitarian activities can be interpreted as violating sanctions, potentially exposing our teams to legal risks.
“With the numbers of people in need of life saving assistance escalating globally, humanitarian actors need this protection now more than ever to make sure we can support struggling communities. Resolution 2664 is a landmark achievement, and an example of how well-crafted exemptions can protect humanitarian space. We now need to see continued efforts by Member States to reflect the spirit and letter of this resolution, including by renewing its application to the UN counterterrorism sanctions next year and the inclusion of harmonised humanitarian exemptions across all autonomous sanctions as well as counterterrorism measures.”
For more information, please contact:
· NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329