He said that sanctions also placed unreasonable demands on those seeking to deliver humanitarian goods to Syria.
“To apply for permits, our partners often have to overcome insurmountable multilingual procedures put in place by the sanction authorities,” he said, noting that even small quantities of goods are hit with high importation fees.
It is especially hard to import “dual-use goods,” which can be used for humanitarian purposes but also have other uses.
He gave the example of powdered milk, which is classified as a dual-use good even though undernourished babies and children in Syria urgently need it.
More in Middle East - Africa
He appealed to governments to give clearer definitions of permitted and prohibited goods, and remove bureaucratic hurdles to delivering aid.
He proposed “a general license for designated NGOs” as a possible interim solution.
ACN, founded in 1947, has donated almost $50 million to 900 humanitarian and pastoral projects in Syria since war broke out.
Meanwhile, the Catholic charity Caritas haslauncheda campaign to help children in Syria with much-needed medical, humanitarian, and educational resources.
The charity’s“Tomorrow is in our hands”campaign seeks to bolster educational opportunities for Syrian children after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed 50% out of the education system.