The US Department of State recently hosted the inaugural US-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue to strengthen cooperation between the UK and US and deliver upon the commitments in the 2023 Atlantic Declaration to strengthen cooperation in the areas of sanctions strategy, design, targeting, implementation, mitigations and enforcement. The delegations, which met in Washington, DC on July 19, 2023, also discussed geographic and thematic sanctions priorities and opportunities for the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) and the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) to align on the implementation of sanctions. Other topics included methods to promote accountability for human rights violations, terrorism, and cybercrime; tensions in countries such as Sudan, Burma, and Iran; and efforts to protect humanitarian activity from the unintended impacts of sanctions. Beyond the bilateral discussions, the delegations also explored ways to broaden their cooperation with other international partners on the targeted, legitimate, and effective use of sanctions to address threats to international peace and security.
Department of State Media Note | British Ambassador’s Statement