Food and Nutrition Security

SDG 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.”

SDG 9: “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”

For a long time, this goal has been a challenge for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – and a major pillar of the UN’s activity in the country. Food and nutrition security exists when all people have physical, social, and economic access to food in sufficient quantity and quality to meet their dietary needs and preferences, and is accompanied by an environment that provides adequate sanitation, health services, and care, allowing them to live a healthy and active life.

“Outcomes for Food and Nutrition Security:
1.1 Increased sustainable food production, productivity and processing in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and livestock.
1.2 Enhanced livelihoods, notably equitable household access to sufficient diversified food all year, in particular among the most vulnerable groups
1.3 Improved nutrition status, especially for women of reproductive age and children under 5, the elderly, as well as any vulnerable groups identified.” (pg.17, DPRK UN Strategic Framework)

Data and Human Rights

SDG 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

SDG 17: “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.”

At the core of the fourth focus, the priority of the United Nations’ activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is to help the United Nations develop national policies and programs with evidence-based, internationally informed analysis and experience.

It is composed of many different strands, each reflecting the general role of the United Nations in supporting many member states to varying degrees depending on the circumstances of the region. In principle, all three key elements of DPRK are related and strategically important.

“Outcomes for Data and Development Management:
4.1 Increased availability, access to and use of reliable disaggregated humanitarian and development data for programming and decision-making.
4.2 Enhanced DPRK capacity to apply international technical norms and standards.
4.3 Enhanced compliance of DPRK with international treaties, conventions and other mechanisms and strengthened evidence-based reporting.” (pg. 23, DPRK UN Strategic Framework).

Resilience and Sustainability

SDG 7: “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.“

SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

SDG 12: “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.”

SDG 13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.“

SDG 15: “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.”

This thematic focus area is a combination of three interrelated and interdependent strands. United Nations Initiatives in DPR Korea: Ecosystem Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Disaster risk management, including risk mitigation and preparation.
The country is currently facing ecological challenges such as deforestation, soil degradation and erosion. This makes the country more vulnerable to extreme weather events and is exacerbated by climate change, with a direct impact on nutrition and food security. Therefore, disaster risk mitigation measures, including reforestation, are a top priority for the country. In addition, the country has extensive biodiversity and needs conservation programs.

“Outcomes for Resilience and Sustainability:
3.1 Local communities, especially the most vulnerable groups including women, can better cope with and respond to impacts of disasters and climate change.
3.2 Local communities, especially those most vulnerable, have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
3.3 Government agencies apply integrated and equitable approaches to environmental management, energy, climate change and disaster risk management.” (pg.21, DPRK UN Strategic Framework)

Social Development Service

SDG 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”

SDG 4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

SDG 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”

Education, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), are the three distinct parts of this thematic focus area. It remains a top priority for the UN in the country, and the main UN agencies involved – WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNESCO – will work to keep their support programs going while altering their targeting to reflect new information.

The UN’s efforts will primarily focus on equity and access to high-quality primary and secondary education, with a focus on the quality of education and learning outcomes, as well as the quality of teacher education, as well as increasing access opportunities for the most vulnerable children, including those with disabilities.

While the UN will provide technical assistance and training across the health system in principle, the UN’s major focus will remain on sustaining the primary health care system while improving the quality of its services.

“Outcomes for Social Development Services:
2.1 Sustained and equitable universal health coverage with emphasis on primary health care especially for the most vulnerable and in remote areas.
2.2 Enhanced services to address communicable and noncommunicable diseases, maternal and childhood diseases especially those experienced by the most vulnerable women and children.
2.3 Strengthened health emergency preparedness and response capacity.
2.4 Coordinated, equitable and sustainable WASH coverage in households, learning institutions and health facilities, especially the most underserved.
2.5 Improved quality and equity in pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education and in technical and vocation education and training.” (pg.19, DPRK UN Strategic Framework)