In March 2019, AESA has been awarded the contract for the Food Security Office in DPR of Korea, a 3 years contract funded by the European Commission (DEVCO).
The overall objective of this contract is to assist DG DEVCO with the implementation of its assistance to the DPRK and therefore to contribute to improving the living conditions of DPRK's most vulnerable groups. To implement its activities AESA has obtained the authorization from the United Nations Committee for Sanctions, as it has been recognized that this work is for humanitarian aid.
The DPRK suffered serious humanitarian problems in the 1990's, including famine and floods. Recovery slowly took place, helped by foreign humanitarian aid. In spite of re-occurring natural disasters (such as 2007 and 2010), there has been a gradual increase in domestic food production. The last UN Crop and Food Security Mission (CFSAM) in 2013 reported that the food gap had fallen to its lowest in many years. However, the same report stated that that population of DPRK remained highly vulnerable to erratic food production and to acute malnutrition. These conditions and the causes persist into 2018. The EU's current mandate for interventions in the DPRK is limited to the provision of humanitarian and technical assistance in the fields of food security, health, and water and sanitation.
The specific objective of AESA contract is to contribute to stabilizing food production and availability, to improving access to food, and to enhancing people's nutritional status by further building and strengthening the resilience of cooperative farms, communities and households, the diversification of production, the balanced diet, and the promotion of behavioral change in nutrition.
Two long term consultants have been recruited for this contract and will be supported by short term consultants and the backstopping team. The office is based in Pyongyang, but the team performs regular field visits to rural areas where NGOs’ projects (EU grants) are implemented.
Date: Mercredi, 2019 - 09 - 11
