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01 October 2025
RC calls on the DPRK Permanent Representative to the UN
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29 September 2025
DPRK Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs addresses UNGA and meets UN Secretary-General
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25 September 2025
Working and living in the DPRK: UNCT Guest Speaker Series
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Democratic People's Republic of Korea
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in DPRK:
Press Release
01 March 2024
Secretary-General Appoints Joe Colombano of Italy United Nations Resident Coordinator in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio António Guterres appointed Joe Colombano of Italy as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He assumes his role on 1 March with the host Government’s approval.Mr. Colombano has over 25 years of experience in international relations and negotiations on political and development issues with the multilateral system, including at Headquarters and in the field. Within the Organization, he served most recently as Head of the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator to China in Beijing. He was previously with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General in New York, where he served for almost a decade, including as Director for Sustainable Development. In that role, he coordinated the office’s political strategy to facilitate the international agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals. He also served as Senior Adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Envoy for COVID-19 in Geneva.An economist by training, Mr. Colombano built a career in development finance, first at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and later in London, at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including as Adviser to its Board of Directors. His field experience includes roles in the private sector in Bangkok, Thailand; with the Central Bank of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kinshasa; in addition to many official missions to the countries of the former Soviet Union.Mr. Colombano is a member of the Advisory Council of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, United States. He is the author of “Learning from the World: New Ideas to Redevelop America” published by Palgrave McMillan, in addition to numerous academic papers on economic development and international affairs.Mr. Colombano holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, a master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, and a Master of Laws in Chinese law from the University of Hong Kong, China. He is married and has three daughters.
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01 October 2025
RC calls on the DPRK Permanent Representative to the UN
United Nations Resident Coordinator Joe Colombano paid a visit to H.E. Ambassador Kim Song, Permanent Representative of the DPRK to the United Nations at their Permanent Mission in New York. The RC and the PR discussed the follow-up to the visit of DPRK Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs to New York on the occasion of the 80th UN General Assembly and the meeting with the UN Secretary-General. The RC expressed his renewed hope for the prompt return of the Country Team to Pyongyang.
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29 September 2025
DPRK Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs addresses UNGA and meets UN Secretary-General
H.E. Mr. Kim Son Gyong, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on 29 September 2025. This was the first time a high-level official travelled from Pyongyang to join the General Assembly since 2018, when then Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho was in attendance. Following the address, Vice-Minister Kim met with UN Secretary-General to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and areas to strengthen the cooperation between the United Nations and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. UN Resident Coordinator Joe Colombano joined the meeting in New York. Caption: H.E. Mr. Kim Son Gyong, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea addresses the UN General Assembly.Photo: © UN
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25 September 2025
Working and living in the DPRK: UNCT Guest Speaker Series
Members of the UNCT attended the first UNCT Guest Speaker Series on Working in the DPRK. At the initiative of the RC, in view of the protracted absence of the UNCT from Pyongyang, the series hosts a number of former UN colleagues and practitioners that have had direct experience of working in the DPRK, with the aim to inject country-level expertise into the UNCT. The inaugural guest of the series was Mr. Gopalan Balagopal, former UNICEF Resident Representative in the DPRK. At a lively and well-attended webinar on 25 September 2025, Mr. Balagopal shared the lessons he learned by living in the country for over three years and working in the field of children's education, health and sanitation. More such sessions will be organized regularly.
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18 September 2025
RC meets USG Alisjahbana of ESCAP
On 18 September 2025, United Nations Resident Coordinator Joe Colombano met with Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The RC briefed the Executive Secretary on the latest developments with the work of the UN in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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11 September 2025
RC meets ASG Wignaraja of UNDP
On 11 September 2025, United Nations Resident Coordinator Joe Colombano paid a courtesy call on Ms. Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at their regional offices in Bangkok. The RC briefed ASG Wignaraja on the work of the UNCT in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and updated her on the prospects for the return of the UNCT to Pyongyang. He also expressed his gratitude for the ASG's support and guidance to his efforts.
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Press Release
22 April 2025
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Mother Earth Day, observed on 22 April
Mother Earth is running a fever. Last year was the hottest ever recorded: The final blow in a decade of record heat.We know what’s causing this sickness: The greenhouse gas emissions humanity is pumping into the atmosphere, overwhelmingly from burning fossil fuels. We know the symptoms: Devastating wildfires, floods and heat. Lives lost and livelihoods shattered.And we know the cure: Rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and turbocharging adaptation to protect ourselves — and nature — from climate disasters.Getting on the road to recovery is a win-win. Renewable power is cheaper, healthier, and more secure than fossil fuel alternatives. And action on adaptation is critical to creating robust economies and safer communities, now and in the future. This year is critical.All countries must create new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C — essential to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe.This is a vital chance to seize the benefits of clean power. I urge all countries to take it, with the Group of Twenty (G20) leading the way. We also need action to tackle pollution, slam the brakes on biodiversity loss, and deliver the finance countries need to protect our planet.Together, let’s get to work and make 2025 the year we restore good health to Mother Earth.
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Press Release
07 March 2025
UN Commemoration of International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women leaders across the United Nations, breaking down barriers and striving for equality from the UN headquarters to our teams on the ground. These women inspire action for all women and girls.Link to Video.
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Press Release
25 January 2025
International Day of Women in Multilateralism - 25 January 2025
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Press Release
30 December 2024
WMO Press Release: Climate change impacts grip globe in 2024
Climate change impacts gripped the globe in 2024, with cascading impacts from mountain peaks to ocean depths and on communities, economies and the environment. The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Greenhouse gas levels continue to grow to record observed highs, locking in even more heat for the future.“Today I can officially report that we have just endured a decade of deadly heat. The top ten hottest years on record have happened in the last ten years, including 2024,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his New Year message.“This is climate breakdown — in real time. We must exit this road to ruin — and we have no time to lose. In 2025, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions, and supporting the transition to a renewable future,” he said.WMO will publish the consolidated global temperature figure for 2024 in January and its full State of the Global Climate 2024 report in March 2025. “In my first year as WMO Secretary-General, I have issued repeated Red Alerts about the state of the climate,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “WMO marks its 75th anniversary in 2025 and our message will be that if we want a safer planet, we must act now. It’s our responsibility. It’s a common responsibility, a global responsibility,” she said.“Every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts and risks. Temperatures are only part of the picture. Climate change plays out before our eyes on an almost daily basis in the form of increased occurrence and impact of extreme weather events,” she said. “This year we saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding events and terrible loss of life in so many countries, causing heartbreak to communities on every continent. Tropical cyclones caused a terrible human and economic toll, most recently in the French overseas department of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Intense heat scorched dozens of countries, with temperatures topping 50 °C on a number of occasions. Wildfires wreaked devastation,” she said.The increasingly extreme weather underlines the urgency of the Early Warnings for All initiative, which along with supporting climate service development and delivery, is a key part of WMO’s activities to support climate adaptation. On the climate mitigation front, WMO is rolling out the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch initiative, and supporting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and COP. In 2025, there will be a strong focus on the cryosphere - the frozen parts of the Earth including sea ice, ice sheets, frozen ground – as it is the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, facilitated by UNESCO and WMO. Throughout 2024, a series of reports from the WMO community highlighted the rapid pace of climate change and its far-reaching impacts on every aspect of sustainable development. Climate change intensified 26 of the 29 weather events studied by World Weather Attribution that killed at least 3700 people and displaced millions, according to a new report from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central.The report said that climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, harming human health and ecosystems, according to the report entitled When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather In 2024.As global temperatures rise and extreme heat events become more frequent and severe, there is a growing need for enhanced international cooperation to address extreme heat risks. A targeted group of experts representing 15 international organizations, 12 countries, and several leading academic and NGO partners convened at WMO headquarters from 17-19 December to advance a coordinated framework for tackling the growing threat of extreme heat. This is in response to the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on extreme heat.It is one of many initiatives by the WMO community to safeguard public health through improved climate services and early warnings. As it marks its 75th anniversary in 2025, WMO will continue to coordinate worldwide efforts to observe and monitor the state of the climate, support international efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.[source]
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Press Release
03 September 2024
UNICEF Press Release: Nearly one million children and pregnant women in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to receive life-saving routine vaccines
UNICEF The vaccination campaign in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) started yesterday, September 2, 2024. This photo features one of the first mothers and her child receiving the vaccine at a hospital in Pyongyang.BANGKOK, 3 September 2024 – More than 800,000 children and 120,000 pregnant women will be vaccinated in a nationwide campaign launched on Monday by the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with UNICEF support. The vaccination campaign will reach children and pregnant women in all 210 counties who have missed out on life-saving vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. “This campaign is a major milestone in our drive to vaccinate every child in the DPRK and protect them from common childhood diseases,” said UNICEF DPRK Acting Representative Roland Kupka. “This is the first step in restoring routine immunization and closing the gap that has left children vulnerable to preventable diseases.”With support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF assisted the Ministry of Public Health with the delivery of over four million doses of essential vaccines — including Pentavalent, Measles-Rubella (MR), Tetanus-Diphtheria, BCG, Hepatitis B, and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) — to the DPRK in July to kickstart this comprehensive catch-up effort. Of these, two million doses will be used in the current catch-up vaccination campaign, while the rest will be sent to health centers nationwide to boost routine immunization programs.National immunization rates in the DPRK exceeded 96 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic but had dropped to below 42 per cent by mid-2021, leaving countless children at risk of deadly diseases such as polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, and hepatitis.UNICEF has supported three previous catch-up vaccination campaigns in the DPRK between 2021 and 2023, reaching a combined total of nearly 1.3 million children who missed essential vaccinations during the pandemic's peak. Additional shipments are expected to reach the DPRK by the end of this year. UNICEF also supplied new freezers, fridges, cold boxes, and temperature taggers to keep vaccines effective in even the most remote areas. Additionally, over 7,200 health workers were trained to manage vaccination campaigns and handle any potential vaccine reactions. UNICEF is also supporting the campaign by overseeing vaccine delivery and administration, and tracking coverage to ensure its success.“To sustain progress in restoring pre-pandemic vaccination levels and ensuring every child receives essential, life-saving vaccines, we urge the DPRK government to swiftly allow the return of UNICEF and UN international staff in the country,” said Kupka.[source]
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03 August 2019
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