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We have tended to focus on the WFP component of the international humanitarian effort because of its size. As we have reported, the WFP’s appeal has been severely underfunded, in part because of aid fatigue and competing commitments elsewhere, including Somalia.
But it is worth noting that UNICEF has been doing good work in North Korea as well, and it is facing the same constraints. The February 2011 food and nutrition assessment was a joint WFP/FAO/UNICEF effort, and was followed by a $12 million UNICEF appeal. In April this was raised to a $20 million appeal, roughly divided between: health; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene, with smaller education and monitoring components. The Humanitarian Action Update issued at the time of the second appeal is an extremely useful introduction to the types of programs needed to reach the most vulnerable populations, including mothers and those in institutions. It is also a depressing catalogue of the problems typical of low-income countries: the need for basic feeding programs, targeted interventions for malnutrition, vaccinations, basic natal and neonatal care. Just one statistic: UNICEF estimates that diarrhoea accounts for 11 per cent of under-5 mortality and respiratory infection for another 17 per cent, with the former associated with lack of access to clean water.
On November 1, UNICEF felt compelled to issue a reminder that it was still working working the North Korea brief and that the appeal is underfunded ($4.6 million of $20.4). According to the update, the problem is exactly what we have underlined repeatedly: pervasive moderate malnutrition among vulnerable groups that is just bad enough to have long-lasting effects but not quite bad enough to sound a more compelling general alarm.
