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UN Resident Coordinator Joe Colombano conducted a visit to Pyongyang on 13 to 18 July 2026, the first in over six years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following on from the meeting of the Secretary-General with H.E. Vice Minister Kim Son Gyong in New York in September 2025, the visit marked the resumption of direct in-country engagements between the UN and the DPRK.The RC was received by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with whom he discussed the current status and future prospects of UN activities in the DPRK. In addition, the RC’s program included a number of field visits, such as the new housing developments in Pyongyang, the Kangdong Greenhouse Complex, and the newly inaugurated Pyongyang General Hospital. The RC also met with members of the diplomatic corps in Pyongyang and visited the offices of the UN agencies in the city -- UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, UNDP, FAO and WFP -- where he was welcomed by national staff colleagues. Head of RCO Helena Sterwe accompanied the RC throughout the visit.