UNDP SUSPENDS OPERATIONS IN NORTH KOREA

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000172 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EFIN UNDP KN SUBJECT: UNDP SUSPENDS OPERATIONS IN NORTH KOREA ¶1. USUN has received a note from UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis informing Executive Board Members that UNDP has suspended operations in North Korea due to North Korea's refusal to accept the Executive Board decision of January 25, 2007 on the continuation of its country program. Mission will provide assessment of implications of this step following further consultations with UNDP. Text of the message follows para 2: ¶2. Begin Text: Date: 2 March 2007 Dear members of the Board, UNDP has closely been following and implementing the collective decision of the Executive Board members of 25 January 2007 to continue its future country programme in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Some of the key measures that were required by the Board decision included adjusting the context of the current country programme (2005-2006) and the proposed country programme (2007 - 2009) to support sustainable human development objectives. UNDP has received a letter from his Excellency Mr. Pak Gil Yon, Permanent Representative of the DPRK to the UN on 1 March 2007 when he met the UNDP Associate Administrator Mr. Ad Melkert. In this letter as well as the meeting, the government of DPRK has expressed disagreement with the modification of the country programme and also with some of the measures such as ending all payments in hard currency to government, national partners, local staff and local vendors and discontinue subcontracting of national staff via government recruitment. Under these circumstances and given the Board's decision, UNDP has no choice but to suspend operations in DPRK and we would like you to be aware of this decision. We have informed the DPRK government to that effect. Should circumstances change at a later date, UNDP could reconsider. Yours sincerely, Kemal Dervis WOLFF