UNICEF on Wednesday said it was confident it can arrange and deliver humanitarian aid to fight tuberculosis and malaria in North Korea, despite claims from the DPRK that UN sanctions have hindered the delivery of crucial medicines made earlier in June.

On June 16, North Korean media reported on a statement from the country’s Foreign Ministry which outlined how the current sanctions regime hinders humanitarian efforts in the DPRK.

“The UNICEF country office in the DPRK ordered 24.4 tons of malaria mosquito repellent (Insecticide Residual Spray) from other countries in September 2016, but they were unable to sign a contract