Canada Renews Syria Humanitarian Sanctions Exemption

Canada this month renewed an exemption that allows Canadian organizations and people to continue to carry out humanitarian-related transactions with Syrian institutions that would otherwise be blocked under Canada's sanctions laws. The country renewed the measure for six months, saying it "will support the delivery of assistance in Syria during this important period of political transition." The extension allows Canadians, including the Syrian diaspora, civil society, nonprofit and charitable organizations, to carry out "humanitarian and stabilization activities and make transactions with sanctioned banks, including the Central Bank of Syria."