Today’s action by the UN Security Council represents a breakthrough in the history of humanitarian aid. The United States and co-drafter Ireland led efforts to secure the passage of Security Council Resolution 2664 to allow humanitarian aid to proceed in contexts where UN sanctions target malicious actors.
The resolution retains key provisions that prevent aid transfers by governments and actors from harming their people. It also protects them from the backlash of harsh sanctions that hold them accountable for their atrocities.
Today’s historic resolution will increase the capacity of the United Nations and its partners to meet the basic humanitarian needs of people in dire straits. As such, the vote sends a clear message that UN sanctions on economic activity and other financial assets do not strictly apply to the delivery of significant aid, excluding legitimate aid providers and donors, banks, and other commercial partnerships. Trustees must gain confidence in whom to entrust goods without hesitation when help is urgently needed.
The United States, the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid and a firm believer in punishing wrongdoers, supports the resolution and calls for an effective and swift response to the world’s pressing challenges. Putin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, increasing climate disasters, and an unprecedented global food crisis.
Because of today’s December 9, 2022, resolution and the generosity and compassion of the American people, the world is in a much better position to provide humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and shelter, to those in need globally.
