Switzerland decided on Friday to "
punctually
" ease the sanctions it imposed on Syria in order to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to this country after the devastating earthquake of February 6, following in the footsteps of the United States. States and the European Union.
Until now, humanitarian organizations receiving funds from the Swiss Confederation for their activities on Syrian territory could obtain exemptions from sanctions for financial transactions necessary for the provision of humanitarian aid or support to the civilian population.
On Friday March 3, the government explained in a press release that it had decided to expand "
the humanitarian exceptions in order to facilitate humanitarian activities in Syria, in particular the humanitarian response to the earthquake of February 6, 2023
", without specifying for how long. this measure will be valid.
Headquarters of many NGOs
Switzerland, where many institutions involved in humanitarian action are headquartered, including the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, thus authorizes henceforth “
the supply, direct and indirect, of assets or economic resources to persons, entities or companies sanctioned by humanitarian actors who obtain funds from the Confederation”
.
For "
humanitarian actors
" who do not receive contributions from the Confederation, an exceptional authorization scheme is provided for the provision of economic resources to persons, companies and entities subject to sanctions "insofar as
this enable the carrying out of humanitarian activities or the provision of aid to the civilian population in Syria
,” the statement said.
The death toll from the earthquake rises to nearly 6,000 dead in Syria, already devastated by a civil war since 2011 which has claimed the lives of nearly half a million people, displaced millions of people and ravaged infrastructure.
The earthquake also killed more than 45,000 people in Turkey.
