Analysis of the situation of children and women in the Democratic People\\\'s Repablic of Korea
PREFACE

This analysis is meant to further the understanding of the situation of children and women in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). We hope that it will serve as a resource for informing
the policies and responses of both the government and the international community involved in
protecting and promoting the rights and improving the lives of children and women. As the basis for
UNICEF’s work in the country, this analysis is meant to illuminate and expound on the linkages
between the prevailing conditions that impact on the situation of women and children.

The life-cycle perspective employed promotes a holistic analysis that unifies many sectoral and
contextual issues. It illuminates the intergenerational perspective necessary for dealing with both
chronic crisis and longer-term development. In short, it is useful in understanding the totality of
children and women’s needs and interests and the causalities between them.

This document is based on the 2003 Analysis of the Situation of Women and Children. Although there
remains a relative paucity of data, this update has drawn on multiple sources including the National
Nutrition Assessment 2004, the country submissions to and concluding observations of the Committee on
the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Ongoing work at the county level
has provided rich sources of information albeit still limited in scope. Examples of these are the
UNFPA Survey on Reproductive Health (2004), UNICEF Baseline Surveys of Focus Counties, and WFP
Household Food Security research.

The reliability and limited availability of data have been notable challenges in the preparation of
this situation analysis. There is still much to be done in the DPRK to strengthen statistical
services, foster greater consistency in figures used by different authorities, and particularly to
promote more evidence-based planning, review and evaluation.

This situation analysis was prepared for UNICEF by Charulata Prasada with contributions from the
staff of the UNICEF Office in Pyongyang, as well as by discussions with a wide range of partners. We
are particularly grateful for the substantial inputs of our sister UN agencies, particularly WFP, WHO
and UNFPA, which will allow this document, with its widened scope, to inform the preparation of the
UN strategy for DPRK. Although dialogue with the government has contributed to this draft, the views
expressed are those of UNICEF and do not necessarily reflect the analysis of the government. Where
divergence exists, it is hoped that this will be helpful in providing reflections from a different
standpoint, one that has only one concern: the well-being and progress of the children and women of
the DPRK.

UNICEF DPRK
June 2006