Ottawa - The Honourable Aileen Carroll,
Minister for International Cooperation, today announced a further $1 million
contribution in Canadian assistance to help supply food to the people of
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This follows a previous $1 million
contribution in early February bringing the total contribution this month
to $2 million. The funds will be provided by the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) to the World Food Programme (WFP).
"Canada is responding to an exceptional
situation," said Minister Carroll. "We are attending to the urgent
humanitarian needs of the people of North Korea by providing assistance
to help feed some of the country's hungriest and most vulnerable people,
including children, women and the elderly."
The WFP recently reported that food supplies are running so low that the majority of the 6.5 million food aid recipients in North Korea may have to wait until April for the arrival of new donor-funded shipments. Today's contribution will be used to purchase emergency supplies that can be delivered and distributed before the end of March. Today's announcement brings Canada's total humanitarian contribution to the people of North Korea from CIDA and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to $13.3 million this fiscal year.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2003 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
Information:
Andrew Graham
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister for International Cooperation
Telephone: (819) 953-3160
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: (819) 953-6534
E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca