Nairobi/Bangkok, 22 November
2007-The United Nations Environment Programme
and the Republic of Korea today signed an
agreement for establishing a Trust Fund
that addresses key environmental issues
in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK). The Republic of Korea will contribute
US$4.4 million in total for this project.
The first venture of its kind on the environment
between the two Koreas, the Trust Fund will
tackle forest depletion, declining water
quality, air pollution, land degradation
and biodiversity in DPR Korea. It will also
support eco-housing initiatives as well
as conservation and management of the Taedong
watershed, environmental education, integrated
environmental monitoring system, clean development
mechanism and renewable energy technology.
"This multilateral cooperation with
UNEP is of great significance for both South
and North Korea and a huge step forward
in addressing pressing environmental issues
in DPR Korea,"said LEE Kyoo-Yong, Ph.D.,
Minister of Environment of the Republic
of Korea.
The past decade has seen declining forests
in DPR Korea due to timber production, firewood
consumption, wild fires and insect attacks
associated with drought, population growth
and conversion of land to agricultural production.
Pollution of rivers and streams has become
severe in recent years, particularly in
the Taedong River, which flows through central
Pyongyang. DPR Korea's reliance on coal
for power generation, industrial processes
and domestic heating also led to serious
air pollution, particularly in cities like
Pyongyang and Hamhung.
To counter this, the country has encouraged
community, youth and children's groups to
establish tree nurseries and to participate
in campaigns such as the National Tree Planting
Day on March 2 every year. The government
is currently strengthening legal control
on effluent from factories by applying the"Polluter
Pays Principle" and has initiated mass
media campaigns to inform the public of
the need for water conservation.
Environmental protection was also recognized
as a priority issue and a prerequisite for
sustainable development after a series of
natural disasters in the mid-11000s led
to a critical drop in yields of major crops.
In 1998, DPR Korea revised its constitution
and designated environmental protection
as a priority over all productive practices
and identified it as a prerequisite for
sustainable development. National laws on
forests, fisheries, water resources and
marine pollution were also adopted.
"This agreement will build on the
momentum that DPR Korea has begun. It will
also go a long way in strengthening the
spirit of cooperation between the two countries,"
said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner.
Since 2000, UNEP has been working in partnership
with the National Coordinating Committee
for Environment and UNDP to strengthen the
capacity of the national government for
environmental assessment and monitoring
and implementation of Multilateral Environmental
Agreements. In 2004, UNEP and DPR Korea
signed a Framework Agreement for Cooperation
in Environment. The first DPR Korea State
of the Environment report was also launched
that year.
Ms. Satwant Kaur, Regional Information
Officer, United Nations Environment Programme,
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
Notes to Editors:
The population of DPR Korea was 22 million
during 1996 and growth trends show that
by 2020 the population will be around 29
million.
In DPR Korea more than 80 percent of the
land area consists of mountainous terrain
where suitable land for the cultivation
is limited. Severe degradation of land resources
has been closely associated with natural
disasters like landslides, flooding and
the incidence of drought in recent years
had substantial impacts on sustainable management
of land resources, in particular agricultural
production. The inundation of arable land
by flooding in 1995 inflicted damage estimated
at US$925 million.
The bulk of remaining forests are in the
mountains. Seventy percent of this forest
stands on slopes above 20o. Forest degradation
in DPR Korea leads to: decrease of timber
resources and habitats, weakness in control
function of the biosphere on atmosphere
and hydrology, loss of biological species,
flooding and soil erosion.
With expansion of industry and population
growth, problems related to water conservation
and management are emerging. The demand
for drinking water, public water supply
and water for industrial and other needs
is increasing with economic development
and the improvement in standards of living.
Together with industrial development and
population growth, air quality is deteriorating,
particularly in urban and industrial areas.
The major causes of air pollution have been
associated with industrial boilers, kilns,
motor vehicles in and around cities and
industrial areas.
DPR Korea meets its primary energy demand
by using domestic coal resources, releasing
sulphur dioxide, suspended particulate matter
and oxides of nitrogen. These are the main
air pollutants associated with coal combustion.
Primary energy consumption is expected to
double in 2020.
The volume of municipal solid waste generated
from Pyongyang is estimated to be 420 thousand
tonnes per annum.
