News Release

27 March 2003


U.N. HAILS SOUTH KOREAN SUPPORT FOR AID PROGRAMMES IN NORTH


PYONGYANG – Three United Nations agencies today welcomed a substantial pledge of support by the Republic of Korea for emergency feeding and healthcare programmes to assist millions of vulnerable children, women and elderly people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In its broadest commitment to date to the UN’s humanitarian relief efforts in the North, the Seoul government has indicated it will channel almost US$20 million this year through the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The aid – 100,000 tonnes of maize valued at US$18 million through WFP, US$700,000 for a WHO malaria prevention campaign and US$500,000 in supplies to UNICEF for child health and nutrition programmes – is being provided in response to an urgent appeal last month by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Following a mid-January mission to the DPRK by his personal envoy, Maurice Strong, Annan warned of a major humanitarian crisis unless donors responded expeditiously to the pressing food and medical needs of the most vulnerable there.

“This very significant pledge by the Republic of Korea will help ensure that 3.5 million hungry people, many of whom had previously been cut from our distribution plans, receive cereal rations for up to three months”, said WFP Executive Director James Morris.

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland said: “The Republic of Korea’s previous contributions to WHO’s campaign to prevent malaria have been crucial, providing bed-nets and anti-malarials to tens of thousands of people. This new donation will reduce the malaria burden even further.”

“The ROK is clearly signaling that it has seen what UN collaboration can do to improve the health and nutrition of needy children and wants us to continue the good work. We appreciate that, and we hope others do too,” said UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy.

The Republic of Korea pledges, the latest in a series by donors to the DPRK, bring to US$72 million the level of funding secured by UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and the Red Cross movement for key humanitarian operations during 2003. However, that is still 68 per cent short of the US$225 million required to fully implement their programmes this year.

Announcing the results last month of a survey showing considerable improvement in child malnutrition rates since the previous assessment in 1998, UNICEF and WFP cautioned the gains could be lost without continued, substantial aid.

The survey indicated that the proportion of young children underweight had dropped to 21 per cent from 61 per cent; wasting, or acute malnutrition, fell to 9 per cent from 16 per cent; and stunting, or chronic malnutrition, was down to 42 per cent from 62 per cent. But the underweight rate was still “high” and the stunting rate “very high”, according to WHO criteria.

“The recent commitments are very welcome, and very necessary”, said Masood Hyder, the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Pyongyang. “But clearly the crisis is far from over, and we sincerely hope other donors will step forward soon.”

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. Every year WFP feeds around 80 million people in 82 countries including most of the world’s refugees and internally displaced people.

WFP Global School Feeding Campaign -- As the largest provider of nutritious meals to poor school children, WFP has launched a global campaign aimed at ensuring the world’s 300 million undernourished children are educated.
For more information please contact:

Masood Hyder
Resident Humanitarian Coordinator
Pyongyang
Tel.: +850-2-3817 284

Rick Corsino
WFP Country Director
Pyongyang
Tel.: +850-2-3817 238

Eigil Sorensen
WHO Representative
Pyongyang
Tel.: +850-2-3817 914

Richard Bridle
UNICEF Representative
Pyongyang
Tel.: +850-2-3