Amid the exacerbating global humanitarian crises, the world must devise a sound political solution to relieve the suffering of fellow citizens, a United Nations World Food Program officer said.

“Humanitarian needs have exploded over the years which have made our work more difficult,” Rasmus Egendal, officer in charge of the agency’s government partnership division, told The Korea Herald on Monday. “We have to generate more resources to meet those needs, which are growing faster than the international community can handle.”

Egendal visited Korea to garner continuing support from the government and inform the public of various programs it is championing around the world. In light of Korea’s enhanced international standing, the WFP and Seoul have strengthened relations over the last decade, the official pointed out. 

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Seoul’s official development assistance increased nearly 3 percent to over $1.9 billion from the previous year.

Unlike most member states of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee that have reduced their commitments due to financial constraints, Seoul has scaled up its official development assistance over the last five years at an average of over 10 percent, the highest out of the committee.

“Crises are occurring in conflict-ridden areas with no political solution in sight,” Egandal emphasized. “The problem is political and the solution is political. If the world cannot come around to solve these protracted problems, it makes it more difficult to deliver humanitarian support.”

Over time, he added, people will “want more than food or roof over their head. They will want education, job, future and hope.

“That’s difficult to deliver in the absence of political solutions. That’s why so many refugees have moved from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe.”

The international agency provides assistance in 60 counties across North Korea, where 7 in 10 people experience food insecurity and 1 in 4 children are malnourished and stunted. Facing mounting international sanctions, the communist country is expected to face a food deficit of 1.1 million tons this year.

Korea and the WFP have complementary operational capacities, the Dane highlighted, adding that his organization can help Seoul access areas otherwise difficult to operate in. During his meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials on Monday, Egendal discussed issues surrounding the bilateral partnership and strategies and objectives in humanitarian assistance and development assistance.

The two sides have a strategic partnership agreement through which annual discussions are held. In early June, a high-level consultation will take place in Rome to push forward key initiatives.

They include the “Better life for girls” program to support education, welfare and empowerment of women and girls in developing nations, announced by Korean President Park Geun-hye at the U.N. General Assembly last September, with a $200 million pledge over the next five years; replication of the “Saemaul Undong” rural development campaign, a nationwide initiative that gives autonomy and accountability to local communities; and U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, a set of intergovernmental agreement with 17 goals and 169 targets for poverty elimination, public health improvement, climate change response, environmental protection and green energy.

For the WFP, goal two -- ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture -- and goal 17 -- strengthening implementation and global partnership for sustainable development -- have particular relevance.

WFP started work in Korea in 1964, one year after it was established. “Korea was still developing and escaping fragility, hunger and suffering,” Egendal said. It closed operation in Korea in 1984, after Korea no longer needed help.

Egendal’s grandfather Kai Hammerich participated in the Korean War from January 1951 to October 1953 as a commander of a hospital ship, part of the Danish contribution to the United Nations Forces.

“My grandfather came to treat wounded soldiers, but after a while, he realized that civilians were severely injured and malnourished,” he said. “He changed the U.N. mandate to help local children and civilians and sent doctors and nurses across Korea.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)