In our latest issue brief, we offer an overview of some of the biggest challenges sanctions create for nonprofits, along with policy recommendations for addressing them. Read it here. (May 27).
Demonstrating the potential for greater cooperation between United Nations programs and civil society groups, the Crisis Group is partnering with the World Food Programme to bolster international conflict prevention efforts. “The new partnership will cover a number of crises across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, and aims to identify and reduce the risks involved in delivering food assistance in conflict contexts.” Read their joint news release here. (May 24).
Jake Sherman and Agathe Sarfati at the International Peace Institute reflect on twenty years of UN counterterrorism policies, some of which have “allowed for a broad interpretation of the crime at the national level, sometimes opening the way to abuses by states, including in restricting civic & humanitarian space.” Read the full article in the Global Observatory. (June 1).
A group of lawmakers are pushing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “use all diplomatic tools to support a durable end to hostilities in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank.” Centering the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they wrote, “In order for this ceasefire to be durable and avoid a renewal of the cycle of violence, it is critical that we improve the dire conditions in Gaza that only contribute to despair and further fuel extremism.” Read Senator Van Hollen’s press release here, and read the full letter here. (June 1).
Dr. Annelle Sheline at the Quincy Institute covers the ongoing humanitarian impacts of the Saudi blockade of Yemen, highlighting a recent letter led by Senator Elizabeth Warren that calls on President Biden to “leverage all influence & tools available, including the potential impact on pending weapons sales, U.S.-Saudi military cooperation, and U.S.-Saudi ties more broadly, to demand that Saudi Arabia immediately & unconditionally stop the use of blockade tactics.” Read the full story in Responsible Statecraft, and read the full letter here. (May 24).
Jen Kirby reports on the devastating and lasting impacts of the recent Israeli assault on Gaza on an already dire humanitarian crisis. “An end to the fighting is the first step, but it won’t fully stem the crisis already underway. The humanitarian crisis persists.” Read the full story in Vox. (May 21).
An Iranian NGO called EB Home, which helps treat people with a rare disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), lost access to special bandages used to treat EB after the Swedish company that makes them ended exports to Iran due to U.S. sanctions. Al Jazeera reports. (May 28).
A new report from Oxfam details the impacts of decades of U.S. sanctions on the Cuban people, focusing on humanitarian impacts, offering testimonials, and looking at the current context of U.S. sanctions during the pandemic. Read the full report here. (May 25).
