UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana is urging the international community to lift sanctions on North Korea to lessen the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a report published Thursday.

There have been no officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Korea. The borders went on complete lockdown at the beginning of the year. Because of this fewer people have been able to flee North Korea, which Quintana said means knowledge of the human rights conditions inside the country is worse than ever.

Another issue that Quintana highlighted is food insecurity. The people in North Korea are malnourished, and with the closed borders and lockdowns, their access to food is even more restricted, having a negative impact especially on malnourished children. If the international community were to lessen sanctions then food may become more accessible and help to keep children nourished, wrote Quintana.

Finally, Quintana believes that unless sanctions are loosened, the increased isolation and surveillance of the people will lead to even more human rights violations. He urged the international community to do what they can to bring peace to the conflict in the Korean peninsula.