Charities in Syria are struggling to deliver aid despite western countries extending sanctions exemptions in the humanitarian sector that were put in place after an earthquake hit Turkey and Syria in February.
Funding still takes months to arrive in Syria or does not arrive at all, said Roy Moussalli, who directs a Syrian NGO that operates in government-controlled areas and receives funding from European and US NGOs.
His faith-based NGO, St Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee, waited two months after the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people for a $50,000 transfer.
The funds were used to buy food and toiletries for earthquake survivors in Lattakia, Aleppo, Hama and Idlib regions.
A transfer of €80,000 ($90,000) was also delayed. Six months after the earthquake, a separate $200,000 transfer has yet to arrive.
“Clothes, blankets, towels, soap, dignity [hygiene] kits for women were all delayed because of banking over-compliance,” Mr Moussalli told The National.
Banking issues
The main issue at stake is de-risking, a banking practice which involves restricting or ending relations with customers to avoid rather than cope with compliance risk.
The humanitarian sector is not subject to sanctions, but it is generally accepted that de-risking practices slow down or block the flow of funds.
Banks expressed reservations at each step of the transfer meant for Mr Moussalli's NGO, from the issuing bank and intermediary banks, usually located in the US or Europe, to the receiving bank in Syria.
“Banks say they don’t want to go take a big risk for a small commission,” he said.
Mr Moussalli’s struggles with the banking sector are a typical problem for NGOs in Syria.
“Basically, banks refuse to do transfers when they see the word Syria,” said a Damascus-based European NGO worker.
There is renewed scrutiny on the six-month humanitarian facilitations issued by the EU and the US after the earthquake as they reach their expiry date.
The February 6 earthquake and its aftershocks killed more than 50,000 people, including more than 7,000 people in Syria.
The earthquake made Syria’s humanitarian situation after 12 years of civil war worse. The number of Syrians in need of humanitarian aid reached 70 per cent of the population this year, a record.
“After a decade of conflict in Syria, a devastating earthquake, and a deteriorating economy, we are concerned of the negative impact of sanctions on Syrians and the general humanitarian situation on the ground,” said Jessica Moussan, regional media relations adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Syrians who died in the earthquake mostly lived in the non-government-controlled area in the north-west, which faced difficulties with aid shipments through its border with Turkey.
Aid sent to north-west Syria falls within the framework of a UN Security Council resolution which is currently on standby after a Russian veto and a push by Damascus to impose its own conditions.
Aid sent to government-controlled areas, which covers roughly 70 per cent of the country, must navigate a complex and sensitive web of overlapping sanctions.
For this reason, many sources The National spoke to requested anonymity.
In the case of the EU, the six-month exemption issued in February was renewed for another six months on Friday.
A similar US general licence is scheduled to expire on August 8. It remains unclear whether the US Treasury will opt for an extension or not, and if it does, how long it would last.
The UK’s post-earthquake six-month general licence was extended in July until February 2024.
Switzerland is the only country that issued an open-ended exemption.
NGOs said they welcome the EU's six-month extension but believe that open-ended exemptions are necessary.
Sanctions slow down their work, drive up their costs, and in the long run are detrimental to the people meant to receive humanitarian aid, they say.
This places some of them in the near-impossible situation of delivering on many EU-funded humanitarian projects while worrying about EU red tape.
“We welcome the EU decision to renew the exemptions, as it means that our call was heard,” said the director of the Syria office of an international NGO.
“But unfortunately, the reasons why we were asking for this renewal do not seem to be understood. The exemptions are useful, but their main issue is that they are time limited.”
An internal survey conducted in May by 33 Damascus-based international NGOs found that 15 per cent of respondents noticed an improvement in financial transfers from their headquarters to their Syria offices which either had not been possible before, or too slow.
The Norwegian Refugee Council was among those that noticed an improvement after it was able to receive funds in euros for the first time in years.
Yet it is widely considered that a six-month exemption is not long enough to persuade banks to change their de-risking practices.
“Banks are hesitant to change their banking operations when they know that permissions could expire imminently,” said Delaney Simon, senior analyst for the US programme at the International Crisis Group.
Ms Simon said that while the banking sector is especially concerned about US sanctions, “a key constraint for banks is navigating the many overlapping sanctions regimes in effect.”
Ms Simon added that six months is too short a time period to conduct an adequate earthquake response.
Difficult phone calls
The US, EU and other states have imposed different Syria-related sanctions as well as associated licences and exemptions.
Complying with the different sanctions regimes diverts money away from aid to human resources as NGOs find themselves obliged to allocate more time and money towards administration.
The NRC now has a full-time member at its headquarters who works on bank transfers.
In practice, the EU exemption waives the need for NGOs to seek permission before transferring funds to a project which might benefit sanctioned entities in Syria.
Some NGOs have said that their logistical work has become easier in the past six months.
They no longer need to ask for a derogation from a so-called “national competent authority” in one of the EU’s 27 countries for certain activities.
These authorities include foreign affairs, economy or finance ministries. Derogations can take months to obtain.
This means that it has become less difficult for NGOs to pay their phone bills to Syriatel, one of two telecom operators in Syria which is sanctioned by the EU but also has the best coverage in the country.
It also means they can more easily book flights inside Syria with sanctioned airlines like Cham Wings, or buy fuel from the state fuel company SadCop, which has a monopoly over petroleum distribution.
NGOs already operate in a complex environment that involves many zones of control and attempts by the Syrian government to co-opt aid, Human Rights Watch said.
Having to worry about whether they can make phone calls to staff in far-flung places like Deir Ezzor compounds these difficulties.
“How are they supposed to do their work if the only way they can contact their staff is through a sanctioned communication channel?” said Ms Simon.
Hesitancies
Most European countries say they are receptive to NGOs complaints and are open to grant them a one-year exemption.
But there is also hesitation at easing sanctions to avoid awarding what is perceived as a diplomatic win to Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad.
Western diplomats said that the suffering of the Syrian people was caused by Mr Al Assad’s refusal to engage in a peaceful transition of power after 12 years of civil war.
They say that the main reason for the country’s economic collapse is the war, widespread corruption and war crimes – mostly committed by Mr Al Assad’s forces.
One country has refused to allow an exemption for the humanitarian sector that is longer than six months. The National’s sources all said that that country is France.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry did not answer a request for comment.
EU Council decisions on sanctions must be taken unanimously – hence the decision last week to only grant a six-month extension to the exemption.
Kelly Petillo, programme manager for the Mena programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, described Paris’ attitude as “very rigid”.
France “considers even post-earthquakes exemptions, which were mainly driven by humanitarian needs, as concessions,” said Ms Petillo.
France also maintains that European sanctions do not actually prevent humanitarian access – despite all the sources The National spoke to saying that they do, indirectly, due to their impact on the banking sector.
“More broadly, [France] rejects the notion that Syrians inside the country are those who are hurt the most by international sanctions, dismissing this as a regime and Russia narrative,” said Ms Petillo.
Another fear is reportedly that a humanitarian exemption would encourage sanctions circumvention. But so far, sources all said that no link has been made.
Behind closed doors, anonymous reports about circumvention are put forward, NGO workers said. Yet they have not been borne out by facts.
“We don’t hear any signal or information that our exemptions have been used to circumvent EU sanctions on Syria,” a senior EU official told Brussels-based reporters on Tuesday.
What banks say
European banks contacted by The National said that they conduct thorough checks but do not hinder legal transfers to Syria.
Brussels-based KBC’s embargo policy specifies that it only processes payments for existing clients as long as they are not in US dollar, British pounds or Canadian dollars and “after a thorough screening of the transaction details to make sure the transaction is legally allowed within the limits of our own policy.”
Banca Etica, a co-operative bank that operates in Italy and Spain, said that only payments that are linked to natural persons or organisations identified as criminals are blocked and that the bank checks the nature of NGO projects on the ground.
France’s Societe Generale had not answered a request for comment by the time this article was published.
All eyes are now on the US Treasury as it prepares to take a decision on whether it will extend or not its general licence that was issued after the earthquake.
The general licence played a positive role in encouraging banks in making transfers to Syria, said Ashleigh Subramanian-Montgomery, associate director of policy and advocacy for the Washington-based Charity and Security Network.
NGOs said they do not want to take a position on the sanctions themselves and the controversies that surround them. What they want is to deliver humanitarian aid.
“We have seen the negative impacts on humanitarian aid delivery and the negative consequences on the general civilian population,” Andres Gonzalez, Syria director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The National.
“These need to be considered by governments.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Stage result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The years Ramadan fell in May
