On May 28, sanctions legal expert Erich Ferrari joined C&SN to discuss the complex web of U.S. sanctions regimes. He breaks down compliance and enforcement structures and outlines what nonprofits need to know. View the recording and slides at C&SN Events. (May 28)
On May 18, 2020 USAID published significant revisions to its anti-terrorism requirements for grantees. These changes will provide improved clarity and reasonable standards regarding grantees’ obligations in all grant agreements going forward. Read the full story at C&SN News. (May 21st)
On May 27 U.S. Congress members introduced the National Commission on U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Act. The bill proposes the formation of a “National Counterterrorism Commission” that would be charged with reevaluating U.S. national security and counterterrorism policy. Find out more at C&SN News. (May 28)
On May 26, The Zionist Advocacy Center filed a complaint with the IRS alleging that the WESPAC Foundation violated its charitable status in its fiscal sponsor role for Students for Justice in Palestine. TZAC has a record of taking legal action against organizations providing support to Palestinians. Read more at C&SN News. (May 28)
U.S. nonprofits that want to financially support projects abroad may need special legal arrangements in order to send tax-deductible donations to a specific foreign organization.In this webinar, legal expert Carrie Garber Siegrist will explain the legal considerations and strategies for managing these situations for both small and large nonprofit organizations.Sign up for the June 10th webinar hosted by C&SN.
This guide offers practical tips for how banks, humanitarian organizations and donors can work together to ensure aid can reach civilians in need of assistance within Syria, and in a manner that is compliant with sanctions and wider regulatory obligations. Read Justine Walker’s report atACAMS. (May 2020)
In Nigeria, as seen elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic is magnifying existing threats to civic space. The database of closing civic spaces in Nigeria is replete with records of disease containment measures radically overstretched beyond context and enforced in ways that hurt civic freedoms. Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri writes atJust Security. (May 19)
International development contractor DAI challenged recent terrorist finance allegations about their programs in Afghanistan, stating that the organization “conducted due diligence and reported on associated risks to USAID in accordance with contractual obligations.” Michael Igoe reports at Devex. (May 5)
The pandemic has brought international attention to the impact sanctions have on humanitarian organizations fighting the virus. In this blog, Anna Kondakhchyan and Emma O’Leary explore the intersection of sanctions law, counter-terrorist finance, and the implications these regulations have on cash and voucher assistance programs in the age of COVID. Read the full story atCaLP. (May 18)
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control is the government office that oversees the administration of sanctions. Learn more about this office and the impacts sanctions have on countries like Cuba in Rui Ferreira’s piece published at On Cuba. (May 15)
The concept of risk-based compliance is regularly referenced in financial compliance documents. However, not until the issuance of the 2019 framework had OFAC provided specific recommendations on what a risk-based approach to compliance meant in practice. Mario Mancuso and Abigail Cotterill provide analysis at Law 360. (May 26)
In response to an outbreak of coronavirus in Iran, OFAC issued guidance pertaining to the manner in which humanitarian goods and assistance may be provided to the people of Iran consistent with U.S. sanctions regimes. Richard J. Gibbon and Sassi Riar provide analysis at the National Law Review. (May 18)
