聯合國：對朝鮮提供人道援助經費嚴重不足

The United Nations is calling for the international community to put aside political differences and boost funding to help address what it says are the dire humanitarian needs of North Koreans.

The U.N. said Tuesday that aid efforts in North Korea remain "seriously underfunded," even as it unveiled a funding request for an additional $198 million to respond to "key humanitarian priorities" in the impoverished communist state in 2012.

International donors provided just over a third of the $218 million the U.N. requested for North Korean aid in 2011. Because of the lack of funds, the international body said it was unable to effectively address the humanitarian needs there.

The U.N. described serious humanitarian conditions in North Korea in its report, saying 16 million people continue to suffer from chronic food insecurity, high malnutrition rates, and deep-rooted economic problems.

It said undernourished children are particularly at risk, with nearly a third of children under five showing signs of stunting and hundreds more dying from preventable conditions such as diarrhea.聯合國呼籲國際社會拋開政治分歧，加緊籌款，幫助解決朝鮮目前面臨的嚴重人道需求問題。

聯合國星期二說，雖然聯合國2012年已經呼籲國際社會再提供1億9800萬美元，以解決這個貧困的共產主義國家最迫切的人道需求，但對朝鮮提供的人道援助目前仍然存在資金嚴重不足的問題。

2011年，聯合國呼籲爲朝鮮提供2億1800萬美元援助，但國際捐助者提供的捐款只略超過這個數額的三分之一。聯合國表示，由於資金不足，不能有效地解決朝鮮的人道需求問題。

聯合國發表朝鮮人道需求的嚴重情況的報告說，1600萬朝鮮人繼續受到長期糧食短缺、廣泛的營養不良以及嚴重經濟問題的影響。

聯合國說，兒童營養不良的問題在朝鮮尤其嚴重，在五歲以下的朝鮮兒童中，將近三分之一發育不良，而且數以百計的兒童死於像是腹瀉這類可預防的疾病。