A United Nations Security Council panel granted the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) permission to bypass North Korean sanctions and import equipment needed for humanitarian work there, according to a letter uploaded to a UN website on Thursday.

The panel — the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1718 Committee — sent its letter informing the IFRC of the decision last Friday.

The new sanctions exemptions will allow the IFRC to go ahead with projects meant to improve drinking water and sanitation quality in the North.

The exemptions, the letter said, “authorize the procurement and shipment