The United Nations is seeking to raise $107 million in humanitarian aid for North Korea, where nearly half of the 25 million population are in need, the UN’s resident coordinator for Pyongyang said in a report released Monday.

According to the report titled “Provisional 2020 DPR Korea Needs and Priorities Overview,” the funding target for this year is lower than the previous year’s $120 million. At the time, the UN managed to secure just 27 percent of the goal, or $32 million, amid international sanctions on the North.

As a result, only 2.5 million of the 3.8 million people initially targeted for the assistance program received aid. But this year, the humanitarian assistance program aims to cover 5.5 million North Koreans, the report said.

The initiative will focus on improving undernutrition prevalent among children and pregnant women and on fighting diseases, such as tuberculosis, which has affected about a million North Koreans. The money will be spent on securing drinking water, introducing health services and improving agricultural practices.

A new body called the Results Working Group will monitor the implementation of the 2020 Needs and Priorities plan to ensure humanitarian resources are distributed effectively, according to the report, which asked the international community for cooperation in the life-supporting project in North Korea.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)