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EU aid to DPRK renders assistance to nursing mothers, pregnant women, children and ailing Koreans

The humanitarian aid supplied to North Korea through the European Union is used for its intended purpose

EPA/ИТАР-ТАСС

EPA/ИТАР-ТАСС

PYONGYANG, January 30 (Itar-Tass) — The humanitarian aid supplied to North Korea through the European Union is used for its intended purpose - rendering assistance to nursing mothers, pregnant women, children and ailing Koreans, Pralhad Shirsath, the head of a division of the European Union Programme Support (EUPS) that provides aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told Itar-Tass in an interview.

According to him, his department last year spent about 1.2 million US dollars to purchase equipment for the construction of greenhouses, building water supply systems, as well as production of food, including noodles, goat milk and cheese that are supplied to kindergartens and nurseries. From 3,000 to 30,000 people will be able to use the water systems, which are created by EUPS in the rural areas of the Pyongan-pukto and Hwanghaenam-do provinces, depending on their capacity, Shirsath said.

Last year, one of the activities in of EUPS in the DPRK that experiences a difficult food problem, was the distribution of a batch of products, including corn, rice and soybeans among the needy.

The bulk of finances for EUPS comes from the EU funds. The Swedish charity organisation SWIDA has been acting as a donor for several years.

The EUPS representative is satisfied with the results of cooperation with the local authorities that is maintained at the level of district People’s Committees. According to him, projects offered by EUPS are implemented quickly and at a high quality level, thanks to this successful collaboration. “I would like to note with satisfaction that the activities of our organisation bring benefit to the DPRK population,” said Shirsat, who by virtue of his activity makes trips to the country’s rural regions.

In addition to EUPS, offices of other foreign humanitarian organisations, including the UN Development Program (UNDP), UNICEF, UN World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are currently functioning in Pyongyang.

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