The board of Global Fund, an international aid financing organization, has approved a new $41.7 million grant for work related to tackling tuberculosis and malaria in North Korea, a spokesperson told NK News on Thursday.

The fund, which prompted widespread concern last year when announced it was ending a multi-million dollar DPRK project, is ready to launch the project pending approval from the North Korean government, they added.

Global Fund previously supported two DPRK projects — one focused on tuberculosis and another aimed at combating the spread of malaria — and was considered a vital source in addressing such health