The United Nations’ Strategic Framework for cooperation between the UN Country Team and the Government of DPRK – update: extension until 2025

The United Nations’ Strategic Framework for cooperation between the UN Country Team and the Government of DPRK came into effect on January 1, 2017, is officially extended to 2025.

On 1 January 2017 the current The United Nations’ Strategic Framework for cooperation between the UN Country Team and the Government of DPRK came into effect. The Strategic Framework sets out the agreed priorities for the UN's country-level work in the DPRK. It was signed on 1 September 2016 by the Secretary General of the National Coordinating Committee of the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Resident Coordinator, along with representatives of 13 UN entities.

The strategic objective is to support and reinforce national efforts to improve the well-being of the people, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable groups.  The UNSF embodies a comprehensive view of the UN's work in the country, encompassing the work of both resident UN agencies as well as non-resident specialized agencies, and it adopts a holistic approach, integrating humanitarian considerations with longer term development.

Globally, partners agreed in 2016 on a new way of working aimed at reducing the need for humanitarian action by investing in communities to help them be better prepared for and respond to shocks. Under the current strategy, the UN’s work in DPRK is intended to reflect the seamless relationship between relief, recovery, rehabilitation and development.

The UNSF identifies four strategic priorities, which the UN will seek to address at the country level, working in support of Government programmes:

1. Food and Nutrition Security
2. Social Development Services
3. Resilience and Sustainability
4. Data and Development Management

In addressing these four strategic priorities in collaboration with the Government, the UN will apply a number of cross-cutting approaches throughout its work.

This is why the overall, uniting theme of this Strategic Framework is "sustainable and resilient human development". It should be viewed in the context of parallel programming processes undertaken by the UN agencies working in DPRK. The UNSF provides an overall strategy, with priorities within which the individual programmes can be designed and implemented.

On a common accord, in 2022, the UN Country Team and the Host Country agreed to extend the framework until 2024. The parties agreed in 2023 to further extend the window of implantation of the UNSF until end of 2025. Discussions and collaboration between the Government and the UN Country Team on the next cooperating framework are expected occur in 2024-2025.