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DPRK

WFP DPR Korea Country Brief, January 2020

Attachments

In Numbers

2,590 mt of food distributed

US$ 10.9 million six months (February-July 2020) net funding requirements

592,750 people assisted in January 2020

Operational Updates

• In January 2020, WFP continued its nutrition programmes, having assisted around 550,000 people, including children in nurseries, kindergartens, hospitals, boarding schools, as well as pregnant and lactating women and girls (PLWG). In total, WFP produced and distributed 1,932 mt of fortified cereals and biscuits for the nutrition programme. Every month, this support is provided in the 60 most vulnerable counties across nine provinces.

• Through the food assistance-for-assets (FFA) activities, WFP distributed 659 mt of maize to 42,856 beneficiaries. Due to seasonal constraints, the asset creation work was not implemented. In the end of January, WFP’s monitors conducted the final assessment of three projects funded by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). These projects implemented riverbed excavation and rehabilitation of embankments. In addition, WFP monitored food distributions for the tree plantation and agroforestry projects implemented in Haeju city of the South Hwanghae province.

• The National Coordinating Committee of the DPR Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NCC) informed the international community that DPRK produced a record high harvest of over 6,6 million mt, reversing the trend of decline since 2016 (see the Operational Context section).

• In January WFP received approval from the UN Sanctions Committee for the import of working tools required for the implementation of FFA activities.
This import is expected to provide a substantial support to the resilience activities, helping to address the food insecurity at the household level.

• DPR Korea was among the first countries to announce a closure of its border due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in neighbouring China, having suspended the flights to China and to Russia.