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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Treasury supports resolution establishing humanitarian carveout across UN sanctions regimes

Financial Crimes Of Interest to Non-US Persons OFAC Department of Treasury OFAC Sanctions OFAC Designations U.N.

Financial Crimes

On December 9, Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen issued a statement on the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2664, which establishes a standardized humanitarian carveout across UN sanctions regimes. Yellen explained that while sanctions are an important tool for globally combating key threats such as money laundering and terrorist financing, Treasury also recognized the potential for unintended consequences and strongly recommended streamlining humanitarian authorizations across sanctions programs. Resolution 2664 “further enables the flow of legitimate humanitarian assistance supporting the basic human needs of vulnerable populations while continuing to deny resources to malicious actors,” Yellen said.