MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Australia will provide $6 million for programs designed to address the current
humanitarian crisis and the longer term root causes of food insecurity in North
Korea.
A serious and complex humanitarian crisis persists in North Korea. The United
Nations reports food shortages still exist among the general population, despite
some improvement in rice production this year. Malnutrition in children continues
as a result of food shortages combined with health problems aggravated by diarrhoeal
diseases.
The United Nations has drawn up a strategy, with the consensus of the North
Korean Government, to embark on a longer-term recovery and rehabilitation program.
While emergency assistance will continue, particularly in food aid and health
services, the United Nations sees a need to broaden assistance by addressing
the causes of food shortages.
As part of this strategy, Australia will provide $5 million to the World Food
Programme for food aid and agricultural rehabilitation programs. These programs
include 'food-for-work' activities including restarting 20 small scale bakeries
in the most vulnerable counties, repair of 100 km of sea dykes and 300 km of
irrigation canals and dams, flood control measures and reforestation activities.
In addition, Australia will provide $250,000 to UNICEF for vitamins and minerals
for local production of corn soya; $500,000 to the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for health education and medicine and
$250,000 to WHO for a tuberculosis control program. Malnutrition has increased
susceptibility to tuberculosis and the number of cases has sharply increased
making it a serious public health problem.
This package of assistance is the second part of $10 million in aid to North
Korea I announced in May last year. $4 million has already been provided to
assist food production and distribution.
Media contacts:
Innes Willox (Minister's Office) - 02 6277 7500/0419 206
890
Fionna Douglas (AusAID) - 02 6206 4960 / 0412 804 489