The Foreign Service Journal, March 2012

M A R C H 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 level of operational confidence. DPRK authorities recently agreed to a set of monitoring principles that are the most stringent of any during our 15 years of working in the country. The terms provide for unprece- dented access to markets, random access to homes and institutions, and the employment of Korean-speakers on WFP’s international staff, things all previously forbidden. Conditions Today Under the WFP’s “no access, no food” policy, we are able tomonitor food supplies as they arrive, move through warehouses, are transported to final distribution points and get into the hands of recipients. Our staff there in- cludes Korean-speaking food aid monitors, something previously not allowed. Another significant improvement is that WFP field of- fices in Hamhung, Wonsan and Chongjin are now connected by fiber-optic cable, allowing full data connectivity and the use of WFP’s food commodity tracking software. In addition to feeding millions of North Koreans, the United Na- tions’ long, consistent engagement has produced a variety of intangi- ble benefits. Perhaps the most im- portant of these is the fact that DPRK officials have been forced to comply with a wide range of international norms in order to receive outside assistance. As North Korean society begins to open up, this body of experience may prove to be invaluable. So while our primary mission there is to save lives, I’m hopeful that the United Nations is also laying the groundwork for the DPRK’s next phase: peaceful engagement with the rest of the world. F OCUS Our primary mission is to save lives, but I’m hopeful that we’re also paving the way for the country’s peaceful engagement.