Korea (DPRK) - [UN: 16.Sep-15.Oct.97]
Korea (DPRK) - [UN: 16.Sep-15.Oct.97]
Democratic Peoples Republic of KOREA
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT
Period covered: 16 September-15 October 1997
This report has been prepared by the office of the
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pyongyang
HIGHLIGHTS
Following the arrival of several NGOs and other aid agencies, a new
co-ordination mechanism was implemented by the Resident Coordinator in
September. WFP and UNICEF are the lead agencies for the food and health
sectors, respectively. The two sector coordination committees are
already operational. The overall UN/NGO/Donor Group continues to meet
weekly under the leadership of the RC.
The RC met with the 15 EU Ambassadors in Beijing, at the request of the
EC President. Food aid, food security and rehabilitation of agriculture
were the main topics of the meeting.
As of 8 October, the April 1997March 1998 CAP was 63.1 percent funded.
The food component (333,200 MTs) has reached a coverage of 98.1 percent
(326,844 MTs).
Based on the positive results and evaluation of the 1997 spring
double-crop initiative, UNDP and FAO have collaborated to formulate a
USD 6.3 million-project for the 1998 spring double-crop. The document
has been circulated as planned to the donor community and the aid group.
WFP led a donor mission that reviewed the general situation and the
remaining bottlenecks in food distribution monitoring. UNICEF and OXFAM
(UK) have started an assessment of the general conditions on the water
and sanitation sector.
UNDP has implemented its collaboration with IFAD. Capacity-building
activities for agriculture have started. The Chinese agronomist under
the Agricultural Relief and Rehabilitation Programme (ARRP) has arrived.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT
The humanitarian situation in DPRK continues to preoccupy the different
organisations associated with relief and rehabilitation programmes.
During the reporting period, a number of assessment and monitoring
missions have been carried out by non-resident NGOs, in addition to the
regular local monitoring schedule
This month relief operations, further extended to new areas and non-food
programmes, were expanded, especially on nutritional rehabilitation,
health and agriculture recovery. UN Agencies and the IFRC have
augmented their international staff and the number of resident NGOs have
increased from one in July 1997 to five in October 1997. Bilateral
(Swiss Disaster Relief) and multilateral (EC-DGVIII and EC-ECHO)
institutions have also recently opened offices in Pyongyang and
participate in the UN coordination system.
The prompt response of the international community to the food component
minimised the short-term effects of cereal shortages during the lean
period. The nutritional rehabilitation programmes carried out since
April 1997 have already had a positive impact measured by a higher rate
of recovery and a lower incidence of new cases reported among vulnerable
groups. The expansion of health programmes, mainly centred on the
supply of drugs and medical equipment to health centres and county
hospitals, has also contributed to this evolution. The agricultural
programmes for recovery of arable land and the supply of agricultural
inputs have progressed and are expected to further expand in the next
months, even if the response of the international community for
sustainable activities, rehabilitation and recovery continues to be
insufficient.
The UN Interagency Consolidated Appeal launched in April had sought
(after two revisions in the food and health sectors) USD 183.4 million.
Funds received up to 8 October covered 63.1 percent of the needs. In
1997, food was covered 98.1 percent in terms of quantity (70.9 percent
in terms of funds) and continues to be the better-funded component.
UNICEF programmes have now been 70.6 percent funded. The UNDP/FAO
agriculture recovery projects (emergency) have so far received
contributions covering 15 percent of the needs. There continues to be a
disturbing under-funding of sustainable activities. This structural
imbalance in the UN/Donor response is likely to jeopardise the ultimate
impact of the entire programme, including food aid itself.
COORDINATION
The expansion of the relief programmes, the presence of a larger number
of organisations in-country and the need to create a stronger link
between the emergency and rehabilitation activities have led the
Resident Coordinator (RC) to strengthen the coordination mechanism among
the different institutions. Apart from the Coordination Group chaired
by the RC, composed of UN Agencies, IFRC, NGOs and bilateral and
multilateral institutions, WFP and UNICEF have assumed lead agency
responsibilities for the two sector groups that have already been
created. The health sector group, led by UNICEF, deals with issues
related to nutritional rehabilitation, basic health care, water and
sanitation. WFP heads the food sector group concerned with aspects of
the food pipeline, import, distribution and monitoring. An agriculture
group funded by IFAD, UNDP and others will be set up in October 1997 to
deal with agricultural recovery and all longer-term food security
aspects, including the double-crop programme, agricultural productivity
and diversification. UNDP/FAO will be the lead agencies for this sector.
FOOD
The food coordination group, headed by WFP, held its first meeting on 25
September and stressed the need for sharing all food distribution plans,
monitoring reports etc.
In the last month, new areas have been accessed, following the trend in
previous months, and the monitoring capacity of the organisations
dealing with food aid has been strengthened. EC/DG VIII already has
three food monitors in-country and WFP expects to add another 10
international monitors to the current seven in the coming weeks.
During the month of September, WFP recorded the arrival of 85,778 MTs of
food, bringing the receipts to a total of 507,778 MTs since January
1997, and an expected total of 800,000 MTs of food aid (including
shipments this month and the confirmed pipeline) for the year 1997.
Table 1
Food Arrivals - September 1997
Channel IFRC/KRC UNICEF WFP PVO FDRC Total
Consortium Bilateral
Rice -
Maize 38,246 42,368 80,614
Wheat 1,100 1,100
CSB 379 105 484
Pulses 2,880 2,880
Vegoil 222 66 288
Others 220 192 412
Source - WFP
The US PVO Consortium has received maize shipments totaling 42,368 MTs,
distributed mainly in East Coast provinces. In October, German Agro
Action received 1,194 MTs of rice and 50.6 MTs of beans to target 24,000
children between seven and 12 years old in South Hwanghae province.
HEALTH
The health coordination group chaired by UNICEF held its first meeting
on 17 September. The weekly meetings have been attended by the resident
organisations, as well as by visiting NGOs with projects covering
nutritional rehabilitation, supply of drugs and medical equipment, water
and sanitation.
The group has analyzed the current nutritional rehabilitation programme
and improvement measures which take into account the current stock and
the pipeline of high energy milk (HEM) and other therapeutic food, as
well as the need to reinforce the principles of utilisation of those
commodities and coordinate distribution plans. A consensus has yet to be
reached regarding the supply of drugs by different organisations, the
quantities already provided and the pipeline. A list of drugs supplied
by UNICEF, IFRC, MSF, MDM will be shared.
It is felt that disaster preparedness has to be strengthened and a
document with guidelines for an inter-agency response to an outbreak of
cholera was prepared. Two OXFAM (UK) water and sanitation experts are
assessing the situation with UNICEF.
Children's Aid Direct (CAD) has delivered 114 MTs of HEM to MSF, to be
used in nutritional rehabilitation programmes implemented in three
provinces. They have also completed the distribution of drugs and
medical equipment in 34 counties and new distributions are planned
before winter. CAD started supplementary feeding (CSB, oil, and sugar)
for 39,000 beneficiaries in nurseries and kindergartens in Sunchon
County. Meanwhile MSF, with support from ECHO, is responding to a
government's request for additional 200 kits of basic drugs for the
counties not yet covered by MSF and IFRC.
FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURE
The ultimate objective of the humanitarian emergency programme in North
Korea (to save lives) will not be attained if it remains divorced from a
longer-term recovery strategy. Food-aid-only programmes, even if
supported by Food For Work (FFW) components, cannot produce solutions
to food crises prompted by economic downturn (albeit exacerbated by
climatic causes). Recent and forthcoming donor contributions to UNICEFs
appeal for the health sector are a welcome new development and an
indispensable complement to food aid. However, the rehabilitation of
agriculture coupled with specific, coordinated interventions on food
security aspects are the only sustainable solution to the present
crisis. In any case, the present volume of food aid, as large as it may
be, can only target the most vulnerable groups, i.e., some 10 percent
of the population so far. Given that approximately 62 percent of the
countrys population live in urban centres and in once general food
distributions are discontinued, only the rehabilitation of the economy
and, by priority, of the agriculture sector could make a difference.
The UN System in DPRK again appeals for support to agricultural
rehabilitation to complement food aid. Following the announcement by the
Republic of Korea of a USD 1.2 million contribution to UNDP for
rehabilitation of secondary agricultural roads and irrigation, as well
as the additional USD 2 million from UNDP TRAC 113, the ARRP is
expanding its activities. The programme, however, requires further
support with rehabilitation works, irrigation, prevention measures and
preservation of the environment. IFAD and UNDP will fund a livestock
development programme in 1998 and IFAD will finance agricultural inputs
for the next season. These are the early elements of a multi-year food
security and environment strategy that may be presented to a round table
of donors in early 1998.
It is also hoped that the proposed double-crop programme for 1998 will
mobilise sufficient funding (USD 6.3 million) to repeat and expand the
1997 successful experiment (barley). UNDP has already circulated the FAO
evaluation report of the 1997 programme as well as the appeal document
for the 1998 season. The winter component of the 1998 double-crop
programme has already recorded donations of 160 MTs of winter wheat and
1,300 MTs of fertilizer. Swiss Disaster Relief has contributed 100 MTs
of seeds and 100 MTs of fertilizer earmarked for Bongson County in North
Hwanghae province. A group of NGOs that included American Friends
Service Committee(AFSC), Church of Brethren (CB) and Mercy Corps
International (MCI) have donated 160 MTs of seeds and 200 MTs of
fertilizer (NPK 21-17-17) to be distributed in target farms, mainly in
Pyongwon county. CARITAS has made a contribution of 1,000 MTs of
fertilizer (NPK 17-13-13). The Swiss NGO Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC)
is developing a goat-breeding project in South Hamgyong province.
This report is available on the internet through RELIEFWEB:
http://www.reliefweb.int
Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Pyongyang
Mr. Christian Lemaire
Tel.: (850) 238 17 566 - 571
Satellite: (872) 1507-451
Fax: (850) 2381-7603
E-Mail: fo.prk@undp.org
Inter-Agency Support Branch (IASB),Geneva
Mr. David Bassiouni - Chief
Mr. Arjun Katoch
Tel.: (41 22) 788.1401
Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
Registry E-Mail:
Rosemary.Addo-Yirenkyi@dha.unicc.org
Complex Emergency Division, New York
Mr. David Chikvaidze
Tel.: (1 212) 963.9665
Fax: (1 212) 963.1388
E-Mail: chikvaidze@un.org
Press to contact (DHA-Geneva)
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2856
Fax: (41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
E-Mail: Moulin-Acevedo@dha.unicc.org
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