Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea A/RES/79/181 society organization based in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is able to independently monitor, document and report on human rights violations in the country, Recalling the collaboration established between the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in providing human rights education to a small number of government officials in Geneva in May 2019, and urging that such technical cooperation be resumed and broadened, including through virtual meetings, and participation in regional and global human rights programmes, Stressing the importance of extending the cooperation of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the field-based structure of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the region, Noting the cooperation between the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the World Health Organization in order to improve the health situation in the country, Noting also the activities undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme, on a modest scale, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea prior to the withdrawal of international staff, and encouraging the engagement of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with the international community to ensure that the programmes benefit persons in need of assistance and continue to be implemented, Noting further the cooperation between the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on a number of assessments, underscoring the importance of those assessments in analysing changes in the national, household and individual situations with regard to food security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, thereby supporting confidence in the targeting and monitoring of aid programmes, and noting with appreciation the work of international aid operators, Stressing the importance of granting immediate access to the country for humanitarian agencies, especially given the prevalence of malnutrition and the necessity for international humanitarian aid organizations to be able to carry out independent needs assessments and implement their humanitarian programmes consistent with international standards and humanitarian principles, including in areas with no operational presence, as well as the need for full, safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to persons in the most vulnerable situations, including individuals in detention, persons with disabilities and older persons, including through the entry of international staff and the prioritization of the shipment of life-saving humanitarian assistance, in accordance with guidance and best practice provided by the World Health Organization, Condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for continuing to divert its resources into pursuing its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes over the welfare of its people, and emphasizing the necessity for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to respect and ensure the welfare and inherent dignity of the people in the country, as referred to by the Security Council in its resolutions 2321 (2016) of 30 November 2016, 2371 (2017) of 5 August 2017, 2375 (2017) of 11 September 2017 and 2397 (2017) of 22 December 2017, Noting with grave concern the exacerbation of the humanitarian situation and its adverse impact on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 24-24223 3/14