A/75/388 VI. Conclusions 47. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea claims that the “anti-epidemic situation in our country is now under safe and stable control”. 31 Independent assessment is not available; nevertheless, it represents the major efforts that the Government has made to protect the right to life and to health of its people. At the same time, the border closure with China, the travel restrictions between cities and regions, the strict quarantine measures and the reduction of humanitarian operations have also had a devastating impact on trade, which in turn has increased widespread food insecurity, the risk of starvation and had a negative impact on an already undernourished population, in particular children. The crisis highlights the historic economic hardships facing people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, worsened by the most severe sanctions regime in the world and the increasing number of natural disasters. Under the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Rapporteur believes that international responsibility for re-evaluating the sanctions regime is more urgent than ever. 48. Surveillance and control over the population continue in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the decreased contact with the outside world during the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate entrenched human rights violations, with more freedoms being restricted, and discrimination and treatment in detention, including in political prison camps, worsening. The negative impact on the population is particularly worrying when the country is further isolating itself and when the information received from within the country is further limited owing to the decreasing presence of the international community and the small number of escapees arriving in the Republic of Korea. Further isolation from the international community is not the answer. The pandemic concerns the whole world, and no single country can avoid its consequences. It is an example of how self-sufficiency does not come from isolation, but instead from engaging with the community of nations in cooperation and solidarity, including through the sharing of expertise, medicines, health-care equipment, potential vaccines and in all other relevant areas, including human rights. 49. The spirit of unity and cooperation emerging worldwide to address the COVID-19 challenges should also inspire stakeholders to search for a peaceful end to the conflict on the Korean Peninsula, which in 2020 marks its seventieth anniversary. Peace for all Koreans, a precious notion that only Korean people can comprehend, has been taken over by geopolitical interests and the denuclearization agenda. The United Nations should be coherent in pursuing peace, human rights, development and denuclearization in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. To that end, the Special Rapporteur believes that a search for a peaceful conclusion of the conflict will generate the space and the conditions needed to further discuss denuclearization, better cooperation, increased access and human rights improvements. In that regard, a principled and human rights-based approach to a peace accord would be the only viable approach. __________________ 31 18/21 Statement by head of delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the general debate held at the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, on 29 September 2020. Available at https://estatements.unmeetings.org/estatements/10.0010/20200929/ azzQgcBAMYqv/WaUGJrE2AJvT_en.pdf. 20-13513