Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=6/24/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= NORTH KOREA / CHILDREN (L-O)

NUMBER=2-304685

BYLINE=GORDON MARTIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: North Korea continues to suffer severe economic and social problems. But the U-N Children's Fund reports it is having some success in helping to ease the plight of the country's 23-million people. Gordon Martin reports from Geneva.

TEXT: UNICEF'S Representative in Pyongyang, Richard Bridle, says the international humanitarian program in North Korea is working.

He recalls that back in 1998, North Korea suffered from the worst malnutrition in the world. Now, he says acute malnutrition among children has been cut in half from 16-percent to eight-percent, and chronic malnutrition from 62-percent to 42-percent.

Mr. Bridle describes these reductions as dramatic, and says they show that the humanitarian program operated by the United Nations, the Red Cross, and non-governmental agencies really is effective.

/// 1st ACT BRIDLE ///

I would also say that those dramatic improvements basically give the lie to people around the world who have said that this aid is being systematically and largely diverted. If all of the food of the World Food Program were actually going to the Army, why would there be such a dramatic effect on the situation of children? We have here indirect evidence that certainly, by and large, the vast majority of that assistance, if not all of it, is going to its intended beneficiaries.

/// END ACT BRIDLE ///

Richard Bridle of UNICEF also points to an improvement in relations with the North Korean authorities.

/// 2nd ACT BRIDLE ///

When we started this humanitarian program we were under great suspicion on the part of the North Koreans. It was a question of, you know, just give us the goods, let us get on with things, our system is the best, we know what we are doing. We do not get that message from them any more. What we do hear from them now, certainly in the social sector, is we want your advice on policy. We would like to move towards international standards. O-K. Now we are not talking nuclear programs or rocket science here. But they have adopted the international immunization schedule. They have adopted international recommendations on breast feeding - extremely important for the very youngest children.

/// END ACT BRIDLE ///

Nonetheless, Mr. Bridle says North Korean children are still at great risks of dying. And he warns that there is no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis.

Mr. Bridle says an end to the crisis would involve the building of internal capacity to enable the North Koreans to feed their own population, to provide their own medicines, repair their water sanitation systems, and to provide children with educational materials.

But, UNICEF'S efforts to help North Korea achieve these goals are threatened by a serious lack of funding.

Just more than one-quarter of its current appeal for 12-million dollars has been met. UNICEF says this situation puts children at greater risk of death and malnutrition. (SIGNED)

NEB/GM/AWP/RAE/FC