Press
Centre
UN agencies warn of deteriorating situation
in Democratic People's Republic of Korea
April 30 2002, NEW YORK - The already severe
humanitarian crisis in the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea will worsen dramatically within weeks unless
the international community pledges more aid immediately,
the United Nations warned today.
Declaring that more than six million of the country's
most vulnerable - primarily women, children and the elderly
- face acute shortages of food, basic medicines and clean
drinking water, the heads of the United Nations Children's
Fund, the World Food Programme and the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs urged donors to make
fresh commitments promptly to prevent a potentially large-scale
loss of life.
"Because donations have been slow in coming this
year, we have already had to take some tough decisions.
So, in May, we will not be able to distribute food to
more than 350,000 elderly people and 675,000 secondary
school children," said WFP Executive Director James
Morris.
"While unfortunate, this will allow us to continue
providing food for orphans, young children and pregnant
and nursing women into the third quarter. These groups
are most at risk, and are entirely dependent on a government-run
Public Distribution System already scaling back its very
meagre rations."
"We need pledges now, because once a pledge is made
it takes two to four months to get that food into the
stomach of a hungry North Korean."
Supplies of sugar, vitamins and minerals - key ingredients
in fortified food blends and biscuits for young children
made at local WFP- and UNICEF-supported factories - are
all but exhausted too.
"Micronutrients are vital for the immune system.
Without them, children are much more vulnerable to illness
and disease," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
of UNICEF.
DPRK government statistics indicate that 45 per cent
of North Korean children under five are chronically malnourished,
while a further four million school-aged children are
also underfed, impairing their capacity to learn.
The nutritional status of some 480,000 pregnant and nursing
women is poor, and the rate of maternal mortality is increasing.
"Indeed, a large segment of the civilian population
of some 22 million people is suffering the consequences
of inadequate food supplies, compounded by limited access
to health, water, sanitation and education services,"
said Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
"Last November, the United Nations appealed to donors
for $258 million to enable UN agencies and NGOs to meet
the most pressing humanitarian needs in the DPRK during
2002. To date, just $23.5 million, less than 10% of the
total requirements of the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal,
have been pledged. We urge the international community
to respond urgently and generously."
A broadening of the donor base would not only yield more
resources, but also facilitate a broader international
dialogue with the DPRK government. "Continued funding
is very important for the engagement process," declared
Bellamy. "Engagement does result in positive change."
***
For more information, contact:
Alfred Ironside, Communication Officer, UNICEF, New
York. Tel. (212) 326 7261, aironside@unicef.org
|
