CERF allocates $5.4 million for Underfunded Emergency in DPRK
14 September 2010: CERF allocated $5.4 million for approximately 1.3 million people who need emergency assistance in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK.)
Some $3 million has been allocated to the World Food Programme (WFP) for nutrition support for women and children. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will receive $900,000 to improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable farming families. Some $750,000 has gone to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to respond to childhood infectious diseases in five provinces. Another $750,000 has been allocated to the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen service delivery for improving maternal and child survival. Finally, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will use $50,000 to reduce maternal mortality.
DPRK continues to suffer from chronic food insecurity, high malnutrition rates, and deep-rooted economic problems. Inadequate medical supplies and equipment make the health care system unable to meet basic needs, while water supply and heating systems continue to fall into disrepair. The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance could rise as a result of current economic stagnation, currency reform, and a particularly harsh winter. Young children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Key aid priorities include food and nutritional assistance, agricultural support, and interventions in the health and education sectors.
[Last updated: 18 November 2010]
CERF has allocated $8 million to agencies working in DPRK for underfunded humanitarian programmes.
3 March 2010: Some $4 million will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) for emergency food assistance to approximately 758,000 people affected by floods and rising food and fuel prices. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been allocated $1.4 million that is estimated to save 325,000 people by providing urea fertilizer and implementing visits to farms following cropping operations. Some $1.2 million will go to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to increase access to improved treatment of infectious diseases for 813,000 children under age 5. Another $1.2 million has been allocated to the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent avoidable deaths among 12,000 pregnant women and newborns and more than 40,000 children under age 5. Finally, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been allocated $95,000 to reduce maternal mortality among 175,000 women.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues to suffer serious and complex humanitarian problems. Food insecurity is chronic, in terms of both national-level availability and the ability of the population to access food. Food deficits are exacerbated by shortages in basic agricultural inputs. As a consequence, malnutrition rates among children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women remain high.
UN agencies providing humanitarian assistance in DPRK are increasingly faced with critical funding shortfalls. The lack of funding has meant that operations have been downsized, with several areas and some vulnerable groups no longer receiving international assistance. It is anticipated that current resources of some agencies may be exhausted in the early part of 2010, bringing to an end vital assistance for many North Koreans.
[Last updated: 19 April 2010]