On August 14, 2023, the US State Department, the Labor Department, and the Commerce Department issued a business advisory (“Business Advisory”) highlighting key risks for companies operating in South Sudan.
While it does not impose new legal obligations on companies, the Business Advisory highlights the fact that list-based sanctions remain in force targeting certain South Sudanese persons including designations under the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, and the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List.

View the recorded sessions from our 2023 Virtual Global Trade Conference where international trade compliance lawyers from around the world reviewed major developments impacting international trade.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled  OFAC and OFSI Issue Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Food Security Fact Sheet Relating to Russia on 11 July 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.  

On 4 May 2023, the President Biden issued Executive Order 14098 establishing a sanctions authority that authorizes the US Government to imposes sanctions on persons or entities in Sudan in connection with “the military’s seizure of power in October 2021 and the outbreak of inter-service fighting in April 2023.”

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled BIS, DOJ and OFAC publish compliance note warning public of Russian evasions of export controls and sanctions on 10 March 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled Sanctions Enforcement Around the G7: Intro to Blog Series and View from the United States on 28 February 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie is delighted to invite you to interactive seminars on 1 March 2023 in Abu Dhabi and 2 March 2023 in Dubai as part of our EMEA Russia Sanctions Briefings. The seminars will focus on the multijurisdictional sanctions challenges facing financial institutions and their clients and other corporates in the Gulf, in relation to the US, UK, EU and UAE sanctions regimes, particularly against Russia. We will also focus on the current enforcement environment and best practices for mitigating sanctions risk arising from potential compliance failures.

The current global sanctions environment — the new normal for Swiss companies: This was the topic of a Russia-focused seminar with members of Baker McKenzie’s global sanctions and investigations team, on 7 February 2023.

On November 26, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls issued General License 41 authorizing Chevron Corporation to resume limited oil extraction operations in Venezuela and accompanying FAQs. According to the accompanying press release, OFAC issued GL 41 after Unitary Platform and President Maduro’s regime announced the resumption of negotiations; a humanitarian agreement focused on education, health, food security, flood response, and electricity programs that will benefit the Venezuelan people; and agreement on the continuation of talks focused on the 2024 elections. OFAC also issued an updated General License 8K extending certain limited wind-down activities with Petróleos de Venezuela SA until 25 May 2023.

Welcome to our Virtual Year-End Review of Import/Export and Trade Compliance Developments Conference resource center. Baker McKenzie’s international trade compliance lawyers from around the world discussed the major global legislative, judicial and administrative activities and trends in export controls, trade sanctions, customs compliance, and import requirements in nine 75 minute sessions which took place from 15 to 17 November 2022.