Politics
U.S. Halts UN Proposal to Help North Korea Address Climate Risk
- Americans say FAO-led effort would only have served regime
- North Korea has long history of prioritizing nuclear program
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump in 2019.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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The U.S. is blocking a United Nations initiative its supporters say would help North Korea cope with increasing risks posed by climate change even as the UN eases the flow of supplies meant to help mitigate a coronavirus outbreak.
A request made by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization to run a two-year program inside North Korea to help Kim Jong Un’s regime respond to climate disasters and hazards was rejected by the U.S. on the grounds that it fell short of requirements for humanitarian exemptions.