North Korea recently made a public call for all foreign humanitarian aid organisations to leave the country by the end of the year. Pyongyang’s announcement has caused discussion amongst NGOs, some having provided aid to North Korea over the past decade.
The Democratic Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name, has received aid relief for the past 10 years due to a food and health crisis from a drought in 1995 and 1997. There is no precise figure for the number of deaths resulting from the drought, but international organisations estimate more than two million people have died of hunger.World Vision (WV), a Christian relief and development organisation, commented on the situation and its response to the recent declaration.
The following are excerpts taken from an interview by Christian Post with Lynn Arnold, the Asia/Pacific Regional Vice-President for World Vision International, via an email on Oct. 3:
What is World Vision’s response to the Democratic Republic of Korea’s declaration that all foreign NGOs must leave the country by the end of the year?
World Vision does not have staff who are resident in Pyong Yang and is not one of the 12 NGOs. However, every three or four months World Vision staff make regular trips into the country to engage with the authorities there and to visit some of the programs we are helping to fund. NGOs are still trying to work their way through the exact implications of the North Korean announcement. It is critically important to continue negotiating for programming work to continue in the North and to explore how that can happen and in what way.
One of the reasons North Korea officials gave regarding their announcement is because of improved conditions. Have the conditions improved and are NGOs no longer needed?
The North Korean government told the resident U.N. agencies and international NGOs in September last year that they had decided to change the policy regarding humanitarian aid from overseas. At the same time they told the U.N. to stop issuing appeals for relief aid via the Consolidated Appeals Process. Their explanation was that N. Korea had received humanitarian aid for nine years, which was too long when compared to other countries that had experienced similar hardship situations. N. Korea wanted to be treated as an “equal partner” and to collaborate with outside organisations by working on development projects and programs. Some of the agencies currently assisting North Korea have been adjusting their program in order to meet these new criteria. There is little doubt that N. Korea continues to face a number of development challenges but in working with N. Korea to address these, the language used, the method of assistance and the approach NGOs adopt must all come together to ensure that those who really need assistance and support continue to receive it. This is the current challenge.
How was World Vision able to help alleviate North Korea’s food crisis?
World Vision itself started providing humanitarian aid such as rice, oil and hospital equipment in 1995. Within a year or so WV started encouraging N. Korea to build local capacity to produce foodstuffs. In 1996, WV built one noodle factory for the North Koreans to run. This was expanded to six by 1997. World Vision supplied the factories with generators, machinery and flour. Up until the end of 2003 WV helped its partners in North Korea produce 60,000 meals a day from the six factories in four provinces. Those receiving the food were those who most stood to gain: children in orphanages and nurseries, pregnant and nursing women and the elderly. Alongside this, WV continued to ship foodstuffs and winter clothing.
