US Treasury gives more latitude to NGOs in Syria

Building of the US Department of The Treasury
Building of the US Department of The Treasury

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The US amended the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR) to expand the authorizations for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to engage in certain transactions and activities, the US Department of Treasury said in a statement yesterday. 

The exemptions of the expanded sanctions issued yesterday, are to support certain not-for-profit activities in Syria: “new investment in Syria; the purchase of refined petroleum products of Syrian origin for use in Syria; and certain transactions with elements of the Government of Syria” the statement read.

The activities include humanitarian projects that meet basic human needs, democracy-building, projects supporting education, non-commercial development projects directly benefitting the Syrian people, and activities to support the preservation and protection of cultural heritage sites, according to the statement.

This amendment will go into effect on November 26 2021. 

This amendment is to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, who continue to face armed conflict, food insecurity, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement noted.

The US Congress passed the Caesar Act in 2019 to saying “It is the policy of the US that diplomatic and coercive economic means should be utilized to compel the government of Bashar al-Assad to halt its murderous attacks on the Syrian people”.