APPEAL FOR $126.2 MILLION ISSUED TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Press Release
IHA/628*
APPEAL FOR $126.2 MILLION ISSUED TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
19970407 NEW YORK, 7 April (Department for Humanitarian Affairs) -- The Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, is calling for $126.2 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, launched today, was prepared following a Department for Humanitarian Affairs mission to the Democratic People's Republic last month. The Appeal covers the period from April 1997 through March 1998.The Appeal, based on proposals by the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), continues and expands activities undertaken by these agencies in the framework of the previous United Nations consolidated appeal, which expired on 31 March 1997. It focuses on urgent needs in three priority sectors, resulting from the effects of unprecedented flooding in the Democratic People's Republic in 1995 and 1996. These sectors, determined through consultations with the relevant United Nations agencies and the Government, are:
-- Food aid, to assist with the most urgent need ($95,469,268);
-- Food Security, in order to assist in resuming normal food production ($20,966,635);
-- Health, to restore basic health services, disrupted by the floods ($9,032,274).
Crop and food supply assessments by the FAO/WFP indicate that the food situation in the Democratic People's Republic has deteriorated dramatically since the previous appeal, with a current grain shortfall of 2.36 million metric tons. The WFP is appealing for considerably larger quantities of food aid than previously. This is aimed at providing nutritional support for children under six, for hospitals and food for work projects. The FAO, UNDP and UNICEF have focused on the problem of strengthening food security as one
* Press Release AFR/1-IHA/626 of 4 April should have been AFR/1-IHA/627.
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of the principal aspects of the appeal. The deteriorating health situation, especially of children and pregnant women, is addressed through increased activities of both UNICEF and the WHO.
The existing monitoring measures, agreed upon for the previous appeal, by the United Nations agencies in Pyongyang with the Government, will apply to the present one. United Nations agencies participating in the present appeal will continue to work with the Government of the Democratic People's Republic in order to strengthen the assessment and monitoring arrangements and mechanisms. Additional funds are requested for these purposes. Donors are urged to provide generous support to this appeal.
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