We are delighted that laif's new photographer Juergen Escher has received an "honourable mention" at the "Unicef Photo of the Year 2011" for a picture from his photo series "North Korea - A Deprived Dictatorship".

Five million North Koreans, almost a fifth of the country's population, are starving. The current famine in North Korea has hit orphans and the rural population especially hard. Last winter was harsh and much of the harvest perished in the frost. By May, food supplies had started to run out and the situation remains critical. In May 2011 Juergen Escher accompanied aid agency Cap Anamur to North Korea.

Juergen Escher at laif

Please check out his feature: North Korea - A Deprived Dictatorship

Jan Grarup, photographer of our partner agency Noor, also received an 'honourable mention'. In October 2011 he photographed Somali refugees in Ethiopia, who were forced to leave their homeland because of the drought there.

Check out his outstanding feature: Famine on the Horn of Africa

You can find more information about the Unicef - Photo of the Year 2011 here