North Korea saw a significant decline in humanitarian assistance from the international community last year amid prolonged border closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Sunday.
The financial tracking service of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that assistance to Pyongyang from international organizations and other agencies in 2022 reached around $2.3 million, down sharply from $14 million the previous year.
Switzerland’s provision for the reclusive country last year through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Swiss Development Cooperation had accounted for 69.5 percent of the total funding, or $1.6 million.
Sweden provided $513,927 to the North last year via the Swedish Red Cross, while the Norwegian Red Cross in Oslo contributed $199,601.
Data showed that several countries, including Canada, Finland, France and Germany, had offered contributions to the North in 2021 but did not provide any last year.
Switzerland will contribute another $1.2 million through UNICEF this year for “essential nutrition services” in the impoverished country, according to the data as of Jan. 4 shown on the OCHA website.
Source: Yonhap News Agency