UN Humanitarian Chief to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 9-12 July 2018

  • WHO: Mark Lowcock, Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) and Under-Secretary General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs
  • WHAT: Mission to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
  • WHEN: 9-12 July 2018
  • WHERE: Pyongyang and South Hwanghae Province

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, will visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from 9 to 12 July 2018, the first visit by an ERC to the country since 2011.

DPRK continues to face a protracted humanitarian crisis that is largely overlooked by the rest of the world. Over 10 million people – or 40 per cent of the population – require humanitarian assistance. Chronic food insecurity and undernutrition are widespread, resulting in 1 in 5 children being stunted. Access to basic services, such as healthcare, water and sanitation is a challenge for much of the population, especially in rural areas.

In April, humanitarian agencies working in DPRK launched a Needs and Priorities Plan, which requires $111 million to provide vital humanitarian assistance to 6 million of the most vulnerable people this year. As of 5 July, the plan was only 10.5 per cent funded. Humanitarian agencies have been forced to significantly scale back their programmes due to cuts in funding. This not only poses an immediate threat to ordinary people who rely on the assistance provided by international agencies, but risks reversing the positive developments the country has made in areas such as child and maternal mortality in recent years.

Mr. Lowcock is scheduled to meet with Government officials, humanitarian partners and people receiving humanitarian assistance to better understand the humanitarian situation. He will also visit ongoing UN projects and to see first-hand the impact that international funding is having on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in DPRK.

For further details, please contact:
In DPRK from 7 July: Helen Mould, mould@un.org; Anthony Burke, burkea@un.org
In New York: Russell Geekie, +1 917 331 0393, geekie@un.org
In Geneva: Vanessa Huguenin, +41 79 202 68 44, huguenin@un.org