UN Security Council adopts resolution to exempt humanitarian aid from UN sanctions

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN Security Council approved a draft resolution Friday on humanitarian exemptions to sanction regimes, proposed by Ireland and the US.

The resolution was approved 14-0 with India abstaining.​​​​​​​

“This humanitarian carveout for UN sanctions regimes is a win for people in need around the world – and for the humanitarian aid workers trying to reach them,” the US Mission to the UN wrote on Twitter.

US Ambassador to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomed the adoption, saying her country is “committed” to addressing the humanitarian needs of the world’s most vulnerable.

“Humanitarian assistance saves lives. This resolution ensures that it will always be facilitated,” the Irish mission said of the adoption in a tweet.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the adoption as a “critical step to enabling the unimpeded delivery of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid, while upholding robust sanctions – critical to driving our foreign policy goals.”

About 339 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and nearly 50 million people are on the verge of famine, Blinken said, while praising the resolution, which “will help facilitate the delivery of aid and goods that are critical to saving lives around the world.”

“We look forward to working with other Member States and humanitarian actors to ensure aid continues to reach those in need, while maintaining the integrity of sanctions that help promote global peace and security,” he wrote in a statement.

Humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have long campaigned for a global humanitarian carve-out on UN sanctions regimes, saying that millions of people in humanitarian need are living in countries, from Yemen to Afghanistan, that are affected.