When political turmoil is high within an already unstable environment, general populations are often at high risk for becoming victims to decisions from above. North Korea is no exception. According to the U.N. World Food Programme, over a third of the population of North Korea is currently in need of food aid. Amidst North’s Korea affirmation of a refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons program, Lynn Pascoe, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, emphasized the need to genuinely address food needs within the reclusive country, regardless of other agendas. He spoke to CNN on the matter:
“These are human beings that need the food. It’s not the political system. This shouldn’t be argued in a political way.”
Lynn Pascoe, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
Despite Mr. Pascoe’s good intentions, there are obvious obstacles to realizing greater international attention to such humanitarian needs. Many other individuals, nations, and organizations can still be inclined to link the provisions of aid with a bargaining away of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, given the lack of transparency within North Korea, it could be extremely difficult to ensure that the aid ends up in the hands of the truly hungry people, and not in the hands of high-ranking government officials. But Pascoe asserted that the United Nations has such concerns under control:
“Our people believe they have a very clear idea of who’s using the food, where it’s going, and it’s really for the good of the people who need it most.”
Although the degree to which humanitarian aid can be isolated from political issues in this situation is debatable, it is clear that those who are hungry can benefit whenever their food needs are met.
It seems to be very true that the North Korean regime uses a significant portion of the humanitarian aid to sustain its army, I think that continuous and excessive aid may ultimately have “trickle-down” (?) effect to reach the populace.
Good post.