U.N. grants sanctions waiver for Int'l Red Cross' humanitarian aid to N.K.

North Korea 10:10 February 08, 2019

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- The U.N. Security Council has granted a sanctions exemption allowing the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to provide North Korea with medical equipment and other humanitarian aid.

A U.N. committee handling sanctions on North Korea granted the waiver for the international aid organization last week, according to the committee's website.

The list of goods approved for the IFRC includes gauges and bandages for medical use, as well as 500 bicycles worth 331,319 Chinese yuan (US$49,100), to be used by its volunteers.

In total, the items are worth over $106,600, according to a document on the website.

The goods will be used for the Red Cross' activities to ensure the safety of pregnant women and newborn children, as well as for medical treatment of infectious diseases and provision of potable water.

The approval raised the total number of humanitarian exemptions related to North Korea currently in effect to 10. The exemptions are valid for six months.

Humanitarian activities are not banned under international sanctions, but the provision of related materials requires sanctions waivers from the U.N.

Aid organizations have said that multilayered sanctions imposed on North Korea for its nuclear provocations are affecting their operations through a disruption of banking channels, a breakdown in supply chains and delays in the transportation of goods.