📋 Tender Overview
The UN Security Council adopted a Resolution that will introduce a horizontal humanitarian carve-out across all UN sanctions regimes. As an elected member of the Security Council Ireland together with the US initiated and led negotiations on this landmark Resolution which will help to ensure that crucial humanitarian assistance can be delivered to parts of the world even where UN sanctions are in place. The Resolution was adopted with the support of 14 of the 15 members of the Security Council one abstention and with co-sponsorship by over 40 States.Currently there are 15 UN sanctions regimes covering 14 countries and two entities al Qaeda and ISILDaesh. These countries include some of those most affected by humanitarian crises. The UN has assessed that over 800 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat and some 339 million people will require humanitarian aid next year to survive.Speaking after the adoption of Resolution 2264 Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney saidThroughout our term on the UN Security Council the protection of the humanitarian space has been a priority for Ireland. We have used our role as an elected member to deliver on one of the longstanding demands of the humanitarian community. Todays Resolution will ensure that humanitarians can work in some of the most complex environments without fear of inadvertently falling foul of UN sanctions regimes.Until now criticism of adverse impacts on humanitarian work has undermined the legitimacy of sanctions in the eyes of the public. Todays Resolution will allow the Council to focus on sanctions as an effective tool for the maintenance of peace and security and for counteracting terrorism while ensuring that humanitarian actors can continue their vital work unimpeded in some of the most challenging environments.Minister Coveney addedAlmost one third of people in need of humanitarian assistance globally are in the 14 countries subject to UN sanctions regimes. The adoption of this Resolution strengthens the ability of humanitarian organisations to continue working in a principled needs based manner in these challenging complex humanitarian emergencies. It will support them in scaling up critical operations to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance. All of this at a time where the world is facing a dramatic increase in humanitarian needs.Ireland and the US as co-penholders listened carefully to all Council members in negotiating this Resolution. We are happy that we have struck a balance between responding effectively to the concerns that humanitarian actors have consistently and clearly raised for several years while ensuring that there are safeguards against aid diversion. With this Resolution we diminish the unintended consequences of sanctions without diminishing UN sanctions themselves.
