Highlights
• In the first half of 2016 UNICEF DPRK provided children in urgent need of support with life-saving interventions to improve child health, nutrition and water and sanitation.
• UNICEF has also supported safer storage facilities for essential childhood vaccines, which are now functioning in 44% per cent of immunization facilities. A programme to improve community-based care for children with malnutrition is now accessible to 60% of under-5 population.
• UNICEF provided 5 million sachets of oral rehydration salts for countrywide use and other essential childhood medicines to 94 counties.
• Health and nutrition response remains significantly underfunded, which could limit UNICEF’s ability to provide all children with access to these life-saving intervention.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
In 2016, the drought situation created by the 2015 El Niño continues to affect overall food production in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Some 25,000 children with severe acute malnutrition are in need of immediate treatment. More than 350,000 children have not been vaccinated, and now have worryingly low immunity profiles because malnutrition leaves them even more vulnerable to infections. Assistance is critically needed to safeguard these children and their families, as well as others whose health status and food, nutrition and water and sanitation security is compromised.
As the warm phase of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)1 phenomenon ended and the monsoon season begins (July until October), there are fears that a La Niña event in the drought-affected provinces might further impact on children’s health in affected communities. Funding constraints, lack of in-country cash and a shortage of people with appropriate technical skills remain major challenges to UNICEF as it seeks to effectively plan and fully implement a humanitarian programme of sufficient size and breadth to meet children’s needs.