Despite confrontation,UN starts programs in NK

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Staff reporter

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has started implementing capacity-building programs on environmental protection, energy efficiency and food security in North Korea.

Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, U.N. Under-Secretary General and ESCAP executive secretary, said these projects are entirely in compliance with the U.N. Security Council resolutions and has the full support of the South Korean government.

``Basically the focus is in terms of improving environmental protection, increasing energy efficiency and food security in the country. We have worked in this area for several years now. What ESCAP is doing is training North Korean personnel in implementing energy saving improvements for power transmissions, for thermal power plants and in constructing biogas projects,'' she told The Korea Times on the sidelines of the U.N. ESCAP's 66th session in Incheon, Tuesday.

ESCAP, the regional arm of the U.N., started implementing the program late last year and is expected to run through 2012. Part of the program involves ESCAP developing pilot demonstration projects on watershed reforestation. An expert group mission will visit North Korea next week to examine various sites for the project.

Another aspect of the program involves sending many small groups of North Korean technical staff and government functionaries to study at various learning institutes in the region, including China, India, Thailand and the Philippines. The exact number of participants is yet to be determined.

Heyzer noted this is one of the largest U.N.-North Korea agreed programs in the country, with the exception of the U.N. humanitarian agencies. ``This is something (North Korea) wants. This is demand-driven. They know they have a problem, so we're working with them to solve their problems,'' she said.

There are challenges to implementing the projects, such as making sure the training received by the North Korean personnel would be put to actual use.

``At the end of the day, it's what happens after you train them... It's one thing to build capacity, but are they allowed the opportunity to use this and turn it into reality? How do we create more accountable institutions?'' Heyzer said.

The U.N. presence in North Korea has mostly been focused on humanitarian challenges. Several agencies, such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF and WHO, have been delivering vital humanitarian aid to the poorest in the country.

Heyzer, who is the highest ranking U.N. official in the Asia-Pacific region, was in Incheon for the 66th session of the ESCAP. The meeting tackled common economic and financial measures to ensure the Asia-Pacific region's long-term economic recovery and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, aimed at slashing poverty, hunger, disease, among others, by 2015.

``Closing the development gap this time around is part of economic recovery because there are so many poor people and great disparity in the region. This is a fantastic time to rethink and reset our region because if you are looking at new drivers of growth, you have challenges. What used to be a challenge can now be turned into an opportunity,'' she said.

Green growth is seen as an important driver for the Asia-Pacific region, since it harmonizes efforts to achieve environmental sustainability with efforts to attain the MDGs by providing new opportunities for economic growth and jobs generation.

``We are talking about investing in the new economy of the future and the green growth agenda is absolutely critical. Here the investment in green technology, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture for food security, water management and energy management are all critical issues,'' Heyzer said.

Heyzer also praised Korea's efforts in taking the lead in green growth. The new ESCAP sub-regional office of Northeast Asia, which is aimed at driving green growth policies, was opened in Incheon Monday.

``Korea is very committed to ESCAP... We have been working together with Korea in getting countries to integrate the green growth concept into their development strategies,'' she said.