Over the next year, up to three million people in Syria are expected to be in need of food assistance, according to a June 2012 joint assessment by the United Nations and the Syrian agricultural ministry. On September 12, 2013, the State Department released a Fact Sheet describing the U.S. humanitarian aid reaching Syria.
The Treasury Department’s FAQ about its Syria sanctions program and guidance to the public on sending remittances, goods and services, and charitable assistance to Syria, issued on August 8, makes it clear that U.S. NGOs can operate there without having to obtain a specific license from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
For example, one question asks:
To assist with giving, Muslim Advocates has issued a FAQ available on the web and in PDF handout format about charitable giving to NGOs operating in and around Syria, as well as sending remittances to family and friends affected by the current strife.
“If timely assistance is not provided, the livelihood system of these vulnerable people could simply collapse in a few months’ time. Winter is fast approaching and urgent action is needed before then,” says Abdulla BinYehia of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.