UN excludes North Korea from next year's humanitarian aid assessment countries due to difficulties in field surveys amid COVID-19

Decision to Maintain Humanitarian Aid Activities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The United Nations has excluded North Korea from the list of countries subject to humanitarian aid assessment next year.

According to the US Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 2nd, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) unusually excluded North Korea from the humanitarian aid assessment in the "2021 Global Humanitarian Overview" report. This report was prepared to share the UN's plans for aid activities in countries facing humanitarian crises next year.

The reason OCHA excluded North Korea from this report is that on-site investigations were impossible due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Accordingly, the UN support team stationed in North Korea and the national humanitarian team decided not to include an analysis and outlook of North Korea's humanitarian needs in next year's report.

However, OCHA plans to continue humanitarian aid activities for North Korea next year according to existing guidelines. It is known that due to COVID-19, North Korea closed its borders, and most UN staff residing in North Korea temporarily returned home, which greatly restricted local activities.

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