The UN Security Council has voted in favour of a proposal by Ireland and the US to give humanitarian efforts a blanket exemption from UN sanctions, addressing aid groups' concerns about the impact of such measures on their work.
When humanitarian groups have been affected by UN sanctions, the Security Council has traditionally dealt with issues on a case-by-case basis. The resolution broadly states that support for humanitarian efforts would not be a violation of any UN asset freezes.
It will apply to UN bodies, international organisations, humanitarian groups with UN General Assembly observer status - like the International Committee of the Red Cross - and aid groups working with the United Nations.
"With needs at record levels globally, it is critical all efforts are made to remove obstacles to reaching communities with assistance," said Amanda Catanzano, acting vice president of Policy and Advocacy at the International Rescue Committee.
"The shift in power in Afghanistan last year underscored the urgent, overdue need for this kind of clarity during an emergency," she said. "We cannot predict the crises of tomorrow, but we can act now to create universal clarity."
Any resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes - by the United States, Russia, China, Britain of France - to pass in the council..
The text stresses that sanctions are an important tool "in the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security, including in support of peace processes, countering terrorism, and promoting non-proliferation."
The Security Council has more than a dozen sanctions regimes in place.
One of the toughest UN sanctions regimes targets North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
UN experts have said that while challenging to assess accurately," there can be little doubt that UN sanctions have unintentionally affected the humanitarian situation" there.
Ireland's UN ambassador Fergal Mythen said that the motion was an opportunity to comprehensively deal with the unintended humanitarian consequences of UN sanctions.
Speaking after the vote, he said: "This is a landmark resolution. As co-pen holder with the United States, we took time over its negotiation. We are conscious that its effect on the UN sanctions landscape will be significant. With this resolution, we diminished the unintended consequences of sanctions without diminishing UN sanctions themselves."
Additional reporting: Reuters
